Radar sensing and emergency response vehicle detection

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for a complete vehicle ecosystem are provided. Specifically, systems that when taken alone, or together, provide an individual or group of individuals with an intuitive and comfortable vehicular environment. The present disclosure includes a system that detects emergency signals and presents alerts to devices of a vehicle to notify vehicle users of the emergency signals. Further, the methods and systems provide a presentation approach to continue to alert a user and even control a vehicle when an acceptable response to a first alert, or series of alerts, is not received from the user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/253,078 filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Radar Sensing and Emergency Response Vehicle Detection,” which claims the benefits of and priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 61/811,981, filed on Apr. 15, 2013, entitled “Functional Specification for a Next Generation Automobile”; 61/865,954, filed on Aug. 14, 2013, entitled “Gesture Control of Vehicle Features”; 61/870,698, filed on Aug. 27, 2013, entitled “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”; 61/891,217, filed on Oct. 15, 2013, entitled “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”; 61/904,205, filed on Nov. 14, 2013, entitled “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”; 61/924,572, filed on Jan. 7, 2014, entitled “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”; 61/926,749, filed on Jan. 13, 2014, entitled “Method and System for Providing Infotainment in a Vehicle”; and 62/076,330, filed on Nov. 6, 2014, entitled “Radar Sensing and Emergency Response Vehicle Detection.” The entire disclosures of the applications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in their entirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.

This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/420,236, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled, “Configurable Vehicle Console”; Ser. No. 13/420,240, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled “Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console”; Ser. No. 13/462,593, filed on May 2, 2012, entitled “Configurable Dash Display”; Ser. No. 13/462,596, filed on May 2, 2012, entitled “Configurable Heads-Up Dash Display”; Ser. No. 13/679,459, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Vehicle Comprising Multi-Operating System”; Ser. No. 13/679,234, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Gesture Recognition for On-Board Display”; Ser. No. 13/679,412, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Vehicle Application Store for Console”; Ser. No. 13/679,857, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Sharing Applications/Media Between Car and Phone (Hydroid)”; Ser. No. 13/679,878, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “In-Cloud Connection for Car Multimedia”; Ser. No. 13/679,875, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Music Streaming”; Ser. No. 13/679,676, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Control of Device Features Based on Vehicle State”; Ser. No. 13/678,673, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Insurance Tracking”; Ser. No. 13/678,691, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Law Breaking/Behavior Sensor”; Ser. No. 13/678,699, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Etiquette Suggestion”; Ser. No. 13/678,710, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Parking Space Finder Based on Parking Meter Data”; Ser. No. 13/678,722, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Parking Meter Expired Alert”; Ser. No. 13/678,726, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Object Sensing (Pedestrian Avoidance/Accident Avoidance)”; Ser. No. 13/678,735, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Proximity Warning Relative to Other Cars”; Ser. No. 13/678,745, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Street Side Sensors”; Ser. No. 13/678,753, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Car Location”; Ser. No. 13/679,441, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Universal Bus in the Car”; Ser. No. 13/679,864, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Mobile Hot Spot/Router/Application Share Site or Network”; Ser. No. 13/679,815, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Universal Console Chassis for the Car”; Ser. No. 13/679,476, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Vehicle Middleware”; Ser. No. 13/679,306, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Method and System for Vehicle Data Collection Regarding Traffic”; Ser. No. 13/679,369, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Method and System for Vehicle Data Collection”; Ser. No. 13/679,680, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Communications Based on Vehicle Diagnostics and Indications”; Ser. No. 13/679,443, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Method and System for Maintaining and Reporting Vehicle Occupant Information”; Ser. No. 13/678,762, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Behavioral Tracking and Vehicle Applications”; Ser. No. 13/679,292, filed Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Branding of Electrically Propelled Vehicles Via the Generation of Specific Operating Output”; Ser. No. 13/679,400, filed Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Vehicle Climate Control”; Ser. No. 13/840,240, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, entitled “Improvements to Controller Area Network Bus”; Ser. No. 13/678,773, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Location Information Exchange Between Vehicle and Device”; Ser. No. 13/679,887, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “In Car Communication Between Devices”; Ser. No. 13/679,842, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Hardware Unit for Car Systems”; Ser. No. 13/679,204, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Feature Recognition for Configuring a Vehicle Console and Associated Devices”; Ser. No. 13/679,350, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Vehicle Console”; Ser. No. 13/679,358, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Dash Display”; Ser. No. 13/679,363, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Heads-Up Dash Display”; and Ser. No. 13/679,368, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console”. The entire disclosures of the applications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in their entirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.

This application is also related to PCT Patent Application Nos. PCT/US14/34092, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled, “Building Profiles Associated with Vehicle Users”; PCT/US14/34099, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Access and Portability of User Profiles Stored as Templates”; PCT/US14/34087, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “User Interface and Virtual Personality Presentation Based on User Profile”; PCT/US14/34088, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Creating Targeted Advertising Profiles Based on User Behavior”; PCT/US14/34232, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Behavior Modification via Altered Map Routes Based on User Profile Information”; PCT/US14/34098, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle Location-Based Home Automation Triggers”; PCT/US14/34108, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle Initiated Communications with Third Parties via Virtual Personalities”; PCT/US14/34101, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle Intruder Alert Detection and Indication”; PCT/US14/34103, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Driver Facts Behavior Information Storage System”; PCT/US14/34114, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Synchronization Between Vehicle and User Device Calendar”; PCT/US14/34125, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “User Gesture Control of Vehicle Features”; PCT/US14/34254, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Central Network for the Automated Control of Vehicular Traffic”; and PCT/US14/34194, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle-Based Multimode Discovery”. The entire disclosures of the applications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in their entirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Whether using private, commercial, or public transport, the movement of people and/or cargo has become a major industry. In today's interconnected world, daily travel is essential to engaging in commerce. Commuting to and from work can account for a significant portion of a traveler's day. As a result, vehicle manufacturers have begun to focus on making this commute, and other journeys, more enjoyable.

Currently, vehicle manufacturers attempt to entice travelers to use a specific conveyance based on any number of features. Most of these features focus on vehicle safety or efficiency. From the addition of safety-restraints, air-bags, and warning systems to more efficient engines, motors, and designs, the vehicle industry has worked to appease the supposed needs of the traveler. Recently, however, vehicle manufactures have shifted their focus to user and passenger comfort as a primary concern. Making an individual more comfortable while traveling instills confidence and pleasure in using a given vehicle, increasing an individual's preference for a given manufacturer and/or vehicle type.

One way to instill comfort in a vehicle is to create an environment within the vehicle similar to that of an individual's home. Integrating features in a vehicle that are associated with comfort found in an individual's home can ease a traveler's transition from home to vehicle. Several manufacturers have added comfort features in vehicles such as the following: leather seats, adaptive and/or personal climate control systems, music and media players, ergonomic controls, and, in some cases, Internet connectivity. However, because these manufacturers have added features to a conveyance, they have built comfort around a vehicle and failed to build a vehicle around comfort.

SUMMARY

There is a need for a vehicle ecosystem, which can integrate both physical and mental comforts, while seamlessly communicating with current electronic devices to result in a totally intuitive and immersive user experience. These and other needs are addressed by the various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the present disclosure. Also, while the disclosure is presented in terms of exemplary and optional embodiments, it should be appreciated that individual aspects of the disclosure can be separately claimed.

Aspects of the invention are directed toward:

1. A system for vehicle to another party communications comprising:

a vehicle personality module adapted to create a vehicle personality;

a communications system that utilizes the created vehicle personality for one or more communications instead of a user's profile.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality is based on one or more user profiles.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality utilizes a vehicle communications module to send and receive communications.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality utilizes a user's communication device to send and receive communications.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of an identifier and an icon is associated with the vehicle personality and sent with at least one communication.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality is automatically utilized based on a determined context.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the determined context is a geographic area that prohibits phone usage while driving.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality communicates directly with the another party.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality intercepts one or more communications for a user of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more communications are for any user associated with the vehicle.

11. A method for vehicle to another party communications comprising: creating a vehicle personality; utilizing the created vehicle personality for one or more communications instead of a user's profile.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality is based on one or more user profiles.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality utilizes a vehicle communications module to send and receive communications.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality utilizes a user's communication device to send and receive communications.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more of an identifier and an icon is associated with the vehicle personality and sent with at least one communication.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality is automatically utilized based on a determined context.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determined context is a geographic area that prohibits phone usage while driving.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality communicates directly with the another party.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality intercepts one or more communications for a user of the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more communications are for any user associated with the vehicle.

A system for vehicle to another party communications comprising:

means for creating a vehicle personality;

means for utilizing the created vehicle personality for one or more communications instead of a user's profile.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors cause to be performed a method for vehicle to another party communications comprising:

creating a vehicle personality;

utilizing the created vehicle personality for one or more communications instead of a user's profile.

A system for updating one or more of software and firmware in a vehicle comprising:

a status module adapted to determine the availability of an update to the one or more of software and firmware; and

a message module adapted to query one or more other vehicles to determine if they have the update; and

a vehicle firmware/software system adapted to download all or a portion of the update from the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is partially downloaded from a plurality of the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is partially updated from a central repository.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded based on one or more rules or preferences.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded based on a projected proximity to the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded directly from the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is sharable with one or more additional vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein a diagnostics module confirms the integrity of the update.

The above aspect, wherein the message module broadcasts the availability of the update to one or more additional vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the message module confirms the update is correct for the vehicle.

A method for updating one or more of software and firmware in a vehicle comprising:

determining the availability of an update to the one or more of software and firmware; and

querying one or more other vehicles to determine if they have the update; and

downloading all or a portion of the update from the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is partially downloaded from a plurality of the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is partially updated from a central repository.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded based on one or more rules or preferences.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded based on a projected proximity to the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded directly from the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is sharable with one or more additional vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein a diagnostics module confirms the integrity of the update.

The above aspect, wherein the message module broadcasts the availability of the update to one or more additional vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the message module confirms the update is correct for the vehicle.

A system for updating one or more of software and firmware in a vehicle comprising:

means for determining the availability of an update to the one or more of software and firmware; and

means for querying one or more other vehicles to determine if they have the update; and

means for downloading all or a portion of the update from the one or more other vehicles.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors cause to be performed a method for updating one or more of software and firmware in a vehicle comprising:

determining the availability of an update to the one or more of software and firmware; and

querying one or more other vehicles to determine if they have the update; and downloading all or a portion of the update from the one or more other vehicles.

A system for vehicle-to-vehicle communications comprising:

a social/business communications module adapted to associate information with one or more of another driver and another vehicle;

a message module adapted to associate the information with one or more of a social network, a network and a navigation network.

The above aspect, wherein the message module interrogates the one or the more of the another driver and the another vehicle to obtain their identification.

The above aspect, wherein the message module broadcasts information to the one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a filter is adapted to filter an interrogation.

The above aspect, wherein one or more of an image and a video is associated with the information.

The above aspect, wherein the information is posted to a social network, and the information is associated with the one or more of another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the information is obtained from the social network about the one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle that are in proximity and the information shown on a display.

The above aspect, wherein the information is advertising and broadcast to the one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein advertising is dynamically filtered before presentation to a user.

The above aspect, wherein the information is a driver rating.

A method for vehicle-to-vehicle communications comprising:

associating information with one or more of another driver and another vehicle; associating the information with one or more of a social network, a network and a navigation network.

The above aspect, wherein the message module interrogates the one or the more of the another driver and the another vehicle to obtain their identification.

The above aspect, wherein the message module broadcasts information to the one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a filter is adapted to filter an interrogation.

The above aspect, wherein one or more of an image and a video is associated with the information.

The above aspect, wherein the information is posted to a social network, and the information is associated with the one or more of another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the information is obtained from the social network about the one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle that are in proximity and the information shown on a display.

The above aspect, wherein the information is advertising and broadcast to the one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein advertising is dynamically filtered before presentation to a user.

The above aspect, wherein the information is a driver rating.

A system for vehicle-to-vehicle communications comprising:

means for associating information with one or more of another driver and another vehicle;

means for associating the information with one or more of a social network, a network and a navigation network.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors cause to be performed a method for vehicle-to-vehicle communications comprising:

associating information with one or more of another driver and another vehicle;

associating the information with one or more of a social network, a network and a navigation network.

A system for vehicle GPS to vehicle GPS communications comprising:

a message module in a first vehicle adapted to one or more of broadcast and post a query for navigational assistance;

a navigation subsystem adapted to analyze the query and determine if a user has information related to the query for navigational assistance; and

a message module in a second vehicle adapted to transmit the information related to the query for navigational assistance.

The above aspect, wherein the query is posted on a social network.

The above aspect, wherein the analysis of the query includes determining a context of a user in the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a communication session is established between the first and the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the transmitted information includes direction information that is automatically entered into a GPS system of the first vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the transmitted information is updated based on one or more of weather information, traffic information and user preference information.

The above aspect, wherein the query is one or more of broadcast and posted based on a privacy setting.

The above aspect, wherein the query is one or more of broadcast and posted to one or more known individuals.

The above aspect, wherein a GPS of the first vehicle is in communication with a GPS of the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a GPS of the first vehicle is in communication with a GPS of the second vehicle to allow the second vehicle to automatically follow the route of the first vehicle.

A method for vehicle GPS to vehicle GPS communications comprising:

one or more of broadcasting and posting from a first vehicle a query for navigational assistance;

analyzing the query and determine if a user has information related to the query for navigational assistance; and

transmitting, from a second vehicle, the information related to the query for navigational assistance.

The above aspect, wherein the query is posted on a social network.

The above aspect, wherein the analysis of the query includes determining a context of a user in the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a communication session is established between the first and the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the transmitted information includes direction information that is automatically entered into a GPS system of the first vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the transmitted information is updated based on one or more of weather information, traffic information and user preference information.

The above aspect, wherein the query is one or more of broadcast and posted based on a privacy setting.

The above aspect, wherein the query is one or more of broadcast and posted to one or more known individuals.

The above aspect, wherein a GPS of the first vehicle is in communication with a GPS of the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a GPS of the first vehicle is in communication with a GPS of the second vehicle to allow the second vehicle to automatically follow the route of the first vehicle.

A system for vehicle GPS to vehicle GPS communications comprising:

means for one or more of broadcasting and posting from a first vehicle a query for navigational assistance;

means for analyzing the query and determine if a user has information related to the query for navigational assistance; and

means for transmitting, from a second vehicle, the information related to the query for navigational assistance.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors cause to be performed a method for vehicle GPS to vehicle GPS communications comprising:

one or more of broadcasting and posting from a first vehicle a query for navigational assistance;

analyzing the query and determine if a user has information related to the query for navigational assistance; and

transmitting, from a second vehicle, the information related to the query for navigational assistance.

A system for communication of safety information comprising:

a sensor adapted to detect at least one road hazard;

a safety module adapted to categorize the at least one road hazard;

a navigation subsystem adapted to associate a GPS coordinate with the road hazard; and

a message module adapted to forward information about the road hazard to one or more entities.

The above aspect, wherein the forwarding of the information is performed automatically based on the categorization of the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the information is forwarded to a remote central repository.

The above aspect, wherein the information is forwarded to a remote central repository and made accessible to one or more other divers.

The above aspect, wherein the information is communicated directly to one or more other drivers based on the one or more other driver's proximity to the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the road hazard is one or more of road damage, a pothole, a rough surface, an icy surface, an accident, an object on the road, a weather condition, a broken down vehicle, an animal on the road and road conditions.

The above aspect, wherein an image module automatically obtains one or more of an image and a video of the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the information is automatically forwarded to a law enforcement agency.

The above aspect, wherein the information is pushed automatically to one or more other vehicles and displayed on the one or more other vehicle's displays.

The above aspect, wherein the information is automatically forwarded to a department of transportation.

A method for communication of safety information comprising:

detecting at least one road hazard;

categorizing the at least one road hazard;

associating a GPS coordinate with the road hazard; and

forwarding information about the road hazard to one or more entities.

The above aspect, wherein the forwarding of the information is performed automatically based on the categorization of the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the information is forwarded to a remote central repository.

The above aspect, wherein the information is forwarded to a remote central repository and made accessible to one or more other divers.

The above aspect, wherein the information is communicated directly to one or more other drivers based on the one or more other driver's proximity to the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the road hazard is one or more of road damage, a pothole, a rough surface, an icy surface, an accident, an object on the road, a weather condition, a broken down vehicle, an animal on the road and road conditions.

The above aspect, wherein an image module automatically obtains one or more of an image and a video of the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the information is automatically forwarded to a law enforcement agency.

The above aspect, wherein the information is pushed automatically to one or more other vehicles and displayed on the one or more other vehicle's displays.

The above aspect, wherein the information is automatically forwarded to a department of transportation.

A system for communication of safety information comprising:

means for detecting at least one road hazard;

means for categorizing the at least one road hazard;

means for associating a GPS coordinate with the road hazard; and

means for forwarding information about the road hazard to one or more entities.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors cause to be performed a method for communication of safety information comprising:

detecting at least one road hazard;

categorizing the at least one road hazard;

associating a GPS coordinate with the road hazard; and

forwarding information about the road hazard to one or more entities.

A vehicle system to one or more of send and obtain one or more images based on a travel route comprising:

a navigation subsystem adapted to track and provide route guidance;

an image retrieval module adapted to obtain one or more images from one or more sources along the travel route; and

a display adapted to display one or more of the one or more obtained images.

The above aspect, wherein the image retrieval module obtains the one or more images one or more of automatically, based on a user request, and based on a notification of one or more of traffic conditions, weather conditions, an accident and road construction.

The above aspect, wherein the image retrieval module is further adapted to obtain video from one or more sources along the travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the vehicle system further obtains and forwards one or more of images and video to an entity.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more sources are roadside cameras, other vehicles, a traffic helicopter and a traffic plane.

The above aspect, wherein a centralized entity stores the one or more images from the one or more sources.

The above aspect, wherein the image retrieval module obtains the one or more images one or more of automatically for the travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more images are displayed on a user's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more images are associated with one or more of an audible and visual alert.

The above aspect, wherein the vehicle system further obtains and forwards one or more of images and video to an entity, and the entity is a department of transportation or a law enforcement agency.

A method to one or more of send and obtain one or more images based on a travel route comprising:

tracking and providing route guidance;

obtaining one or more images from one or more sources along the travel route; and

displaying one or more of the one or more obtained images.

The above aspect, wherein further comprising obtaining the one or more images one or more of automatically, based on a user request, and based on a notification of one or more of traffic conditions, weather conditions, an accident and road construction.

The above aspect, further comprising obtaining video from one or more sources along the travel route.

The above aspect, further comprising obtaining and forwarding one or more of images and video to an entity.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more sources are roadside cameras, other vehicles, a traffic helicopter and a traffic plane.

The above aspect, wherein a centralized entity stores the one or more images from the one or more sources.

The above aspect, wherein the image retrieval module obtains the one or more images one or more of automatically for the travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more images are displayed on a user's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more images are associated with one or more of an audible and visual alert.

The above aspect, wherein the vehicle system further obtains and forwards one or more of images and video to an entity, and the entity is a department of transportation or a law enforcement agency.

A system to one or more of send and obtain one or more images based on a travel route comprising:

means for tracking and providing route guidance;

means for obtaining one or more images from one or more sources along the travel route; and

means or displaying one or more of the one or more obtained images.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors cause to be performed a method to one or more of send and obtain one or more images based on a travel route comprising:

tracking and providing route guidance;

obtaining one or more images from one or more sources along the travel route; and

displaying one or more of the one or more obtained images.

A vehicle alert system comprising:

an alert module adapted to detect a presence of an emergency vehicle; and

a communications device adapted to alert a driver about the presence of the emergency vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle transmits information about the emergency vehicle's intended travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle transmits an emergency vehicle presence signal.

The above aspect, wherein an image capture device detects the presence of the emergency vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a travel path of the emergency vehicle is displayed on a vehicle navigation system.

The above aspect, wherein the communications device is a user's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein the communications device is a user's smartphone.

The above aspect, wherein the alert is one or more of audible, visual and mechanical.

The above aspect, wherein the alert is displayed in a heads-up display of the vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the alert module receives a signal from one or more vehicle sensors regarding the presence of an emergency vehicle.

A vehicle alert method comprising:

detecting a presence of an emergency vehicle; and

alerting a driver about the presence of the emergency vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle transmits information about the emergency vehicle's intended travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle transmits an emergency vehicle presence signal.

The above aspect, wherein an image capture device detects the presence of the emergency vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a travel path of the emergency vehicle is displayed on a vehicle navigation system.

The above aspect, wherein the communications device is a user's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein the communications device is a user's smartphone.

The above aspect, wherein the alert is one or more of audible, visual and mechanical.

The above aspect, wherein the alert is displayed in a heads-up display of the vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the alert module receives a signal from one or more vehicle sensors regarding the presence of an emergency vehicle.

A vehicle alert system comprising:

means for detecting a presence of an emergency vehicle; and

means for alerting a driver about the presence of the emergency vehicle.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors cause to be performed a vehicle alert method comprising:

detecting a presence of an emergency vehicle; and

alerting a driver about the presence of the emergency vehicle.

A vehicle-based individual presence determination system comprising:

one or more vehicle sensors;

a presence detection module that analyses a signal from the one or more vehicle sensors to determine the presence of an individual and determines whether the individual is a known individual.

The above aspect, wherein a determination is made as to whether a collision is possible between the vehicle and the individual.

The above aspect, wherein an alert is communicated to the individual regarding a possible collision.

The above aspect, wherein the presence detection module further receives special information from the individual.

The above aspect, wherein the special information is one or more of a handicap, an identification and a profile.

The above aspect, wherein one or more rules alter an operation of the presence detection module when the individual is the known individual.

The above aspect, wherein a display is populated with presence information and an icon representing the individual shown on the display.

The above aspect, wherein whether the individual is a known individual is based on stored profile information.

The above aspect, wherein the stored profile information is stored in one or more of the vehicle and a user's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein a privacy filter filters information exchanged between the vehicle and the individual.

A vehicle-based individual presence determination method comprising:

analyzing a signal from the one or more vehicle sensors to determine the presence of an individual; and

determining whether the individual is a known individual.

The above aspect, wherein a determination is made as to whether a collision is possible between the vehicle and the individual.

The above aspect, wherein an alert is communicated to the individual regarding a possible collision.

The above aspect, wherein a presence detection module further receives special information from the individual.

The above aspect, wherein the special information is one or more of a handicap, an identification and a profile.

The above aspect, wherein one or more rules alter an operation of the presence detection module when the individual is the known individual.

The above aspect, wherein a display is populated with presence information and an icon representing the individual shown on the display.

The above aspect, wherein whether the individual is a known individual is based on stored profile information.

The above aspect, wherein the stored profile information is stored in one or more of the vehicle and a user's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein a privacy filter filters information exchanged between the vehicle and the individual.

A vehicle-based individual presence determination system comprising:

means for analyzing a signal from the one or more vehicle sensors to determine the presence of an individual; and

means for determining whether the individual is a known individual.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors cause to be performed a vehicle-based individual presence determination method comprising:

analyzing a signal from the one or more vehicle sensors to determine the presence of an individual; and

determining whether the individual is a known individual.

An infant health monitoring system in a vehicle comprising:

one or more sensors;

an infant profile; and

an infant monitoring module, the infant monitoring module evaluating information from the one or more sensors and providing status information about the infant to a user.

The above aspect, wherein the user is one or more of a vehicle driver, a vehicle passenger and one or more persons at a remote location.

The above aspect, wherein the remote location is a home.

The above aspect, wherein a prediction module cooperates with the infant profile to predict supply usage for a trip.

The above aspect, wherein a prediction module cooperates with an advertising module to forward advertising information to one or more users.

The above aspect, wherein an application monitors the infant.

The above aspect, the one or more sensors include biometric sensors, a microphone, a camera, a video camera, a diaper sensor and a wearable sensor.

The above aspect, wherein the providing of status information is varied based on whether the infant is awake.

The above aspect, wherein one or more of an image and a video accompanies the status information.

The above aspect, wherein a context is determined and forwarded with the status information to a remote location.

An in-vehicle infant health monitoring method comprising:

evaluating information from one or more sensors associated with the infant; and

providing status information about the infant to a user.

The above aspect, wherein the user is one or more of a vehicle driver, a vehicle passenger and one or more persons at a remote location.

The above aspect, wherein the remote location is a home.

The above aspect, wherein a prediction module cooperates with the infant profile to predict supply usage for a trip.

The above aspect, wherein a prediction module cooperates with an advertising module to forward advertising information to one or more users.

The above aspect, wherein the status information is provided one or more of audibly and visually to a user.

The above aspect, the one or more sensors include biometric sensors, a microphone, a camera, a video camera, a diaper sensor and a wearable sensor.

The above aspect, wherein the providing of status information is varied based on whether the infant is awake.

The above aspect, wherein one or more of an image and a video accompanies the status information.

The above aspect, wherein a context is determined and forwarded with the status information to a remote location.

An in-vehicle infant health monitoring system comprising:

means for evaluating information from one or more sensors associated with the infant; and

means for providing status information about the infant to a user.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors cause to be performed an in-vehicle infant health monitoring method comprising:

evaluating information from one or more sensors associated with the infant; and

providing status information about the infant to a user.

Embodiments include an emergency vehicle alert system, comprising: an alert module of a vehicle configured to detect a signal emitted by at least one emergency signaling entity, wherein the alert module is configured to analyze the detected signal for signal information and identify the detected signal as an emergency signal when the signal information of the detected signal includes information corresponding to at least one emergency; and a communication device associated with the vehicle and configured to present an alert to notify a user of the vehicle of the at least one emergency. Aspects of the above system include wherein the alert includes at least one alert type comprising one or more of a visual, acoustic, and haptic notification. Aspects of the above system include wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information further comprises: determining characteristics of the detected signal over time; and comparing the determined characteristics of the detected signal to one or more signal profiles stored in memory, wherein each signal profile of the one or more signal profiles is associated with at least one of a signal source and emergency event type. Aspects of the above system include wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergency signaling entity is a return signal in response to a radar signal sent by the vehicle. Aspects of the above system include wherein presenting the alert to the communication device associated with the vehicle is based at least partially on user preferences stored in memory and associated with the user. Aspects of the above system include wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergency signaling entity is a wireless communication signal, and wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information further comprises: analyzing the wireless communication signal for signal information included in a payload of a packet associated with the wireless communication signal. Aspects of the above system include wherein the wireless communication signal includes at least one of vehicle control instructions, location information of the emergency vehicle relative to the vehicle, destination information of the emergency vehicle, and an estimated time of arrival of the emergency vehicle. Aspects of the above system further comprise determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device, wherein determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device further comprises: detecting an input provided by the user in response to the alert being presented; determining whether the input provided by the user corresponds to a required acknowledgment of the alert as defined by rules stored in memory; providing an affirmative output that the user has acknowledged the alert when the input provided by the user corresponds to the required acknowledgment of the alert; and providing a negative output that the user has failed to acknowledge the alert when the input provided by the user fails to correspond to the required acknowledgment of the alert; presenting, when it is determined that the user of the vehicle has failed to acknowledge the alert presented to the communication device, a subsequent alert to the communication device associated with the vehicle, wherein the subsequent alert includes a modification to at least one of the alert type, an intensity associated with the alert type, and a number of the alert types presented to the communication device. Aspects of the above system further comprise: a controller configured to control a feature of the vehicle, wherein the feature of the vehicle includes at least one of a navigation feature, a media subsystem, an engine control, a steering control, and a gear transmission control.

Embodiments include a method, comprising: detecting, by an alert module of a vehicle, an acoustic signal generated by an emergency signaling entity; analyzing characteristics of the acoustic signal, wherein the characteristics include signal information associated with the acoustic signal over a period of time; comparing the characteristics of the acoustic signal with characteristics of one or more stored signal profiles, wherein each of the one or more stored signal profiles is associated with a specific emergency definition; determining whether a match exists between the characteristics of the acoustic signal and the characteristics of one or more stored signal profiles; presenting, when the match exists, an alert to a communication device of the vehicle to notify a user of the vehicle about the acoustic signal, wherein the presentation of the alert includes at least one of playing a sound corresponding to the acoustic signal detected, providing information about the acoustic signal detected, and providing the specific emergency definition associated with the matching signal profile.

Embodiments include an emergency vehicle alert method, comprising: detecting, by an alert module of a vehicle, a signal emitted by at least one emergency signaling entity; analyzing the detected signal for signal information; identifying the detected signal as an emergency signal when the signal information of the detected signal includes information corresponding to at least one emergency; and presenting an alert to a communication device associated with the vehicle, wherein the alert is configured to notify a user of the vehicle about the at least one emergency. Aspects of the above method include wherein the alert includes at least one alert type comprising one or more of a visual, acoustic, and haptic notification. Aspects of the above method include wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information further comprises: determining characteristics of the detected signal over time; and comparing the determined characteristics of the detected signal to one or more signal profiles stored in memory, wherein each signal profile of the one or more signal profiles is associated with at least one of a signal source and emergency event type. Aspects of the above method include wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergency signaling entity is a return signal in response to a radar signal sent by the vehicle. Aspects of the above method include wherein presenting the alert to the communication device associated with the vehicle is based at least partially on user preferences stored in memory and associated with the user. Aspects of the above method include wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergency signaling entity is a wireless communication signal, and wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information further comprises: analyzing the wireless communication signal for signal information included in a payload of a packet associated with the wireless communication signal. Aspects of the above method include wherein the wireless communication signal includes at least one of vehicle control instructions, location information of the emergency vehicle relative to the vehicle, destination information of the emergency vehicle, and an estimated time of arrival of the emergency vehicle. Aspects of the above method further comprise: determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device; and presenting, when it is determined that the user of the vehicle has failed to acknowledge the alert presented to the communication device, a subsequent alert to the communication device associated with the vehicle, wherein the subsequent alert includes a modification to at least one of the alert type, an intensity associated with the alert type, and a number of the alert types presented to the communication device. Aspects of the above method include wherein determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device further comprises: detecting an input provided by the user in response to the alert being presented; determining whether the input provided by the user corresponds to a required acknowledgment of the alert as defined by rules stored in memory; providing an affirmative output that the user has acknowledged the alert when the input provided by the user corresponds to the required acknowledgment of the alert; and providing a negative output that the user has failed to acknowledge the alert when the input provided by the user fails to correspond to the required acknowledgment of the alert. Aspects of the above method include wherein the input provided by the user fails to correspond to the required acknowledgment of the alert, the method further comprising: controlling a feature of the vehicle, wherein the feature of the vehicle includes at least one of a navigation feature, a media subsystem, an engine control, a steering control, and a gear transmission control.

The present disclosure can provide a number of advantages depending on the particular aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. These and other advantages will be apparent from the disclosure.

The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more,” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refer to any process or operation done without material human input when the process or operation is performed. However, a process or operation can be automatic, even though performance of the process or operation uses material or immaterial human input, if the input is received before the performance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to be material if such input influences how the process or operation will be performed. Human input that consents to the performance of the process or operation is not deemed to be “material.”

The term “automotive navigation system” can refer to a satellite navigation system designed for use in vehicles. It typically uses a GPS navigation device to acquire position data to locate the user on a road in the unit's map database. Using the road database, the unit can give directions to other locations along roads also in its database. Dead reckoning using distance data from sensors attached to the drivetrain, a gyroscope and an accelerometer can be used for greater reliability, as GPS signal loss and/or multipath can occur due to urban canyons or tunnels.

The term “bus” and variations thereof, as used herein, can refer to a subsystem that transfers information and/or data between various components. A bus generally refers to the collection communication hardware interface, interconnects, bus architecture, standard, and/or protocol defining the communication scheme for a communication system and/or communication network. A bus may also refer to a part of a communication hardware that interfaces the communication hardware with the interconnects that connect to other components of the corresponding communication network. The bus may be for a wired network, such as a physical bus, or wireless network, such as part of an antenna or hardware that couples the communication hardware with the antenna. A bus architecture supports a defined format in which information and/or data is arranged when sent and received through a communication network. A protocol may define the format and rules of communication of a bus architecture.

The terms “communication device,” “smartphone,” and “mobile device,” and variations thereof, as used herein, can be used interchangeably and may include any type of device capable of communicating with one or more of another device and/or across a communications network, via a communications protocol, and the like. Exemplary communication devices may include but are not limited to smartphones, handheld computers, laptops, netbooks, notebook computers, subnotebooks, tablet computers, scanners, portable gaming devices, phones, pagers, GPS modules, portable music players, and other Internet-enabled and/or network-connected devices.

A “communication modality” can refer to any protocol- or standard defined or specific communication session or interaction, such as Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (“VoIP), cellular communications (e.g., IS-95, 1G, 2G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 4G/IMT-Advanced standards, 3GPP, WIMAX™, GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000, EDGE, 1×EVDO, iDEN, GPRS, HSPDA, TDMA, UMA, UMTS, ITU-R, and 5G), Bluetooth™, text or instant messaging (e.g., AIM, Blauk, eBuddy, Gadu-Gadu, IBM Lotus Sametime, ICQ, iMessage, IMVU, Lync, MXit, Paltalk, Skype, Tencent QQ, Windows Live Messenger™ or MSN Messenger™, Wireclub, Xfire, and Yahoo! Messenger™), email, Twitter (e.g., tweeting), Digital Service Protocol (DSP), and the like.

The term “communication system” or “communication network” and variations thereof, as used herein, can refer to a collection of communication components capable of one or more of transmission, relay, interconnect, control, or otherwise manipulate information or data from at least one transmitter to at least one receiver. As such, the communication may include a range of systems supporting point-to-point or broadcasting of the information or data. A communication system may refer to the collection individual communication hardware as well as the interconnects associated with and connecting the individual communication hardware. Communication hardware may refer to dedicated communication hardware or may refer a processor coupled with a communication means (i.e., an antenna) and running software capable of using the communication means to send and/or receive a signal within the communication system. Interconnect refers some type of wired or wireless communication link that connects various components, such as communication hardware, within a communication system. A communication network may refer to a specific setup of a communication system with the collection of individual communication hardware and interconnects having some definable network topography. A communication network may include wired and/or wireless network having a pre-set to an ad hoc network structure.

The term “computer-readable medium,” as used herein refers to any tangible storage and/or transmission medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a random access memory (RAM), a programmable read only memory (PROM), and erasable programmable read only memory EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. When the computer-readable media is configured as a database, it is to be understood that the database may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations of the present disclosure are stored. It should be noted that any computer readable medium that is not a signal transmission may be considered non-transitory.

The terms “dash” and “dashboard” and variations thereof, as used herein, may be used interchangeably and can be any panel and/or area of a vehicle disposed adjacent to an operator, user, and/or passenger. Dashboards may include, but are not limited to, one or more control panel(s), instrument housing(s), head unit(s), indicator(s), gauge(s), meter(s), light(s), audio equipment, computer(s), screen(s), display(s), HUD unit(s), and graphical user interface(s).

The term “module” as used herein refers to any known or later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, or combination of hardware and software that is capable of performing the functionality associated with that element.

The term “desktop” refers to a metaphor used to portray systems. A desktop is generally considered a “surface” that may include pictures, called icons, widgets, folders, etc. that can activate and/or show applications, windows, cabinets, files, folders, documents, and other graphical items. The icons are generally selectable to initiate a task through user interface interaction to allow a user to execute applications and/or conduct other operations.

The term “display” refers to a portion of a physical screen used to display the output of a computer to a user.

The term “displayed image” refers to an image produced on the display. A typical displayed image is a window or desktop. The displayed image may occupy all or a portion of the display.

The term “display orientation” refers to the way in which a rectangular display is oriented for viewing. The two most common types of display orientations are portrait and landscape. In landscape mode, the display is oriented such that the width of the display is greater than the height of the display (such as a 4:3 ratio, which is 4 units wide and 3 units tall, or a 16:9 ratio, which is 16 units wide and 9 units tall). Stated differently, the longer dimension of the display is oriented substantially horizontal in landscape mode while the shorter dimension of the display is oriented substantially vertical. In the portrait mode, by contrast, the display is oriented such that the width of the display is less than the height of the display. Stated differently, the shorter dimension of the display is oriented substantially horizontal in the portrait mode while the longer dimension of the display is oriented substantially vertical. A multi-screen display can have one composite display that encompasses all the screens. The composite display can have different display characteristics based on the various orientations of the device.

The term “electronic address” can refer to any contactable address, including a telephone number, instant message handle, e-mail address, Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”), Global Universal Identifier (“GUID”), Universal Resource Identifier (“URI”), Address of Record (“AOR”), electronic alias in a database, etc., combinations thereof.

The term “gesture” refers to a user action that expresses an intended idea, action, meaning, result, and/or outcome. The user action can include manipulating a device (e.g., opening or closing a device, changing a device orientation, moving a trackball or wheel, etc.), movement of a body part in relation to the device, movement of an implement or tool in relation to the device, audio inputs, etc. A gesture may be made on a device (such as on the screen) or with the device to interact with the device.

The term “gesture capture” refers to a sense or otherwise a detection of an instance and/or type of user gesture. The gesture capture can be received by sensors in three-dimensional space. Further, the gesture capture can occur in one or more areas of a screen, for example, on a touch-sensitive display or a gesture capture region. A gesture region can be on the display, where it may be referred to as a touch sensitive display, or off the display, where it may be referred to as a gesture capture area.

The terms “infotainment” and “infotainment system” may be used interchangeably and can refer to the hardware/software products, data, content, information, and/or systems, which can be built into or added to vehicles to enhance driver and/or passenger experience. Infotainment may provide media and/or multimedia content. An example is information-based media content or programming that also includes entertainment content.

A “multi-screen application” refers to an application that is capable of producing one or more windows that may simultaneously occupy one or more screens. A multi-screen application commonly can operate in single-screen mode in which one or more windows of the application are displayed only on one screen or in multi-screen mode in which one or more windows are displayed simultaneously on multiple screens.

A “single-screen application” refers to an application that is capable of producing one or more windows that may occupy only a single screen at a time.

The terms “online community,” “e-community,” or “virtual community” can mean a group of people that interact via a computer network, for social, professional, educational, and/or other purposes. The interaction can use a variety of media formats, including wikis, blogs, chat rooms, Internet forums, instant messaging, email, and other forms of electronic media. Many media formats may be used in social software separately and/or in combination, including text-based chat rooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars.

The term “satellite positioning system receiver” can refer to a wireless receiver or transceiver to receive and/or send location signals from and/or to a satellite positioning system (SPS), such as the Global Positioning System (“GPS”) (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo positioning system (EU), Compass navigation system (China), and Regional Navigational Satellite System (India).

The term “social network service” may include a service provider that builds online communities of people, who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and/or activities of others. Social network services can be network-based and may provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services.

The term “social network” can refer to a network-based social network.

The term “screen,” “touch screen,” “touchscreen,” or “touch-sensitive display” refers to a physical structure that enables the user to interact with the computer by touching areas on the screen and provides information to a user through a display. The touch screen may sense user contact in a number of different ways, such as by a change in an electrical parameter (e.g., resistance or capacitance), acoustic wave variations, infrared radiation proximity detection, light variation detection, and the like. In a resistive touch screen, for example, normally separated conductive and resistive metallic layers in the screen pass an electrical current. When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact in the contacted location, whereby a change in electrical field is noted and the coordinates of the contacted location calculated. In a capacitive touch screen, a capacitive layer stores electrical charge, which is discharged to the user upon contact with the touch screen, causing a decrease in the charge of the capacitive layer. The decrease is measured, and the contacted location coordinates determined. In a surface acoustic wave touch screen, an acoustic wave is transmitted through the screen, and the acoustic wave is disturbed by user contact. A receiving transducer detects the user contact instance and determines the contacted location coordinates.

The term “window” refers to a, typically rectangular, displayed image on at least part of a display that contains or provides content different from the rest of the screen. The window may obscure the desktop. The dimensions and orientation of the window may be configurable either by another module or by a user. When the window is expanded, the window can occupy substantially all of the display space on a screen or screens.

The terms “determine,” “calculate,” and “compute,” and variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation, or technique.

It shall be understood that the term “means,” as used herein, shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112, Paragraph 6 or other applicable law. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the summary of the invention, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

The terms “vehicle,” “car,” “automobile,” and variations thereof may be used interchangeably herein and can refer to a device or structure for transporting animate and/or inanimate or tangible objects (e.g., persons and/or things), such as a self-propelled conveyance. A vehicle as used herein can include any conveyance or model of a conveyance, where the conveyance was originally designed for the purpose of moving one or more tangible objects, such as people, animals, cargo, and the like. The term “vehicle” does not require that a conveyance moves or is capable of movement. Typical vehicles may include but are in no way limited to cars, trucks, motorcycles, busses, automobiles, trains, railed conveyances, boats, ships, marine conveyances, submarine conveyances, airplanes, space craft, flying machines, human-powered conveyances, and the like.

The term “profile,” as used herein, can refer to any data structure, data store, and/or database that includes one or more items of information associated with a vehicle, a vehicle system, a device (e.g., a mobile device, laptop, mobile phone, etc.), or a person.

The term “in communication with,” as used herein, refers to any coupling, connection, or interaction using electrical signals to exchange information or data, using any system, hardware, software, protocol, or format, regardless of whether the exchange occurs wirelessly or over a wired connection.

The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle operating environment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle control system environment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle communications subsystem;

FIG. 5A is a first block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle interior environment separated into areas and/or zones;

FIG. 5B is a second block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle interior environment separated into areas and/or zones;

FIG. 5C is a third block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle interior environment separated into areas and/or zones;

FIG. 6A depicts an embodiment of a sensor configuration for a vehicle;

FIG. 6B depicts an embodiment of a sensor configuration for a zone of a vehicle;

FIG. 7A is a block diagram of an embodiment of interior sensors for a vehicle;

FIG. 7B is a block diagram of an embodiment of exterior sensors for a vehicle;

FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an embodiment of a media subsystem for a vehicle;

FIG. 8B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a user and device interaction subsystem for a vehicle;

FIG. 8C is a block diagram of an embodiment of a Navigation subsystem for a vehicle;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a communications subsystem for a vehicle;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a software architecture for the vehicle control system;

FIG. 11A is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11B is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11C is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11D is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11E is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11F is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11G is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11H is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11I is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11J is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11K is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesture that a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 12A is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storing information about a user of a vehicle;

FIG. 12B is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storing information about a device associated with or in a vehicle;

FIG. 12C is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storing information about a system of a vehicle;

FIG. 12D is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storing information about a vehicle;

FIG. 13 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing one or more settings associated with a user;

FIG. 14 is a flow or process diagram of a method for establishing one or more settings associated with a user;

FIG. 15 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing one or more settings associated with a user;

FIG. 16 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing one or more gestures associated with a user;

FIG. 17 is a flow or process diagram of a method for reacting to a gesture performed by a user;

FIG. 18 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing health data associated with a user;

FIG. 19 is a flow or process diagram of a method for reacting to a gesture performed by a user;

FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary user/device interaction subsystem;

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary software/firmware update subsystem;

FIG. 22 illustrates an exemplary safety and messaging subsystem;

FIG. 23 illustrates an exemplary presence detection and infant monitoring subsystem;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of virtual personality management;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for software/firmware updating and sharing;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for inter-vehicle communications and dangerous situation alerting;

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for exchanging GPS information and/or directions;

FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for condition reporting;

FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for emergency vehicle notifications;

FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for finding parking spaces;

FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for toll road management;

FIG. 32 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for presence detection and object/person avoidance and notifications;

FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for infant monitoring;

FIG. 34A is a graphical representation of a signal profile associated with a first type of emergency signal in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 34B is a graphical representation of a signal profile associated with a second type of emergency signal in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 34C is a graphical representation of a signal profile associated with a third type of emergency signal in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 34D is a graphical representation of a detected signal profile and a stored signal profile associate with a type of emergency signal in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 35 is a flow or process diagram of a method for presenting signal information to a device associated with a vehicle;

FIG. 36 is a flow or process diagram of a method for automatically determining a presentation order for signal information alerts;

FIG. 37 is an embodiment of a data structure for storing emergency signal information; and

FIG. 38 is a block diagram of signal communications system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a letter that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference letter or label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Presented herein are embodiments of systems, devices, processes, data structures, user interfaces, etc. The embodiments may relate to an automobile and/or an automobile environment. The automobile environment can include systems associated with the automobile and devices or other systems in communication with the automobile and/or automobile systems. Furthermore, the systems can relate to communications systems and/or devices and may be capable of communicating with other devices and/or to an individual or group of individuals. Further, the systems can receive user input in unique ways. The overall design and functionality of the systems provide for an enhanced user experience making the automobile more useful and more efficient. As described herein, the automobile systems may be electrical, mechanical, electro-mechanical, software-based, and/or combinations thereof.

A vehicle environment 100 that may contain a vehicle ecosystem is shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle environment 100 can contain areas associated with a vehicle or conveyance 104. The vehicle 104 is shown as a car but can be any type of conveyance. The environment 100 can include at least three zones. A first zone 108 may be inside a vehicle 104. The zone 108 includes any interior space, trunk space, engine compartment, or other associated space within or associated with the vehicle 104. The interior zone 108 can be defined by one or more techniques, for example, geo-fencing.

A second zone 112 may be delineated by line 120. The zone 112 is created by a range of one or more sensors associated with the vehicle 104. Thus, the area 112 is exemplary of the range of those sensors and what can be detected by those sensors associated with the vehicle 104. Although sensor range is shown as a fixed and continuous oval, the sensor range may be dynamic and/or discontinuous. For example, a ranging sensor (e.g., radar, lidar, ladar, etc.) may provide a variable range depending on output power, signal characteristics, or environmental conditions (e.g., rain, fog, clear, etc.). The rest of the environment includes all space beyond the range of the sensors and is represented by space 116. Thus, the environment 100 may have an area 116 that includes all areas beyond the sensor range 112. The area 116 may include locations of travel that the vehicle 104 may proceed to in the future.

An embodiment of a vehicle system 200 is shown in FIG. 2. The vehicle system 200 may comprise hardware and/or software that conduct various operations for or with the vehicle 104. The operations can include, but are not limited to, providing information to the user 216, receiving input from the user 216, and controlling the functions or operation of the vehicle 104, etc. The vehicle system 200 can include a vehicle control system 204. The vehicle control system 204 can be any type of computing system operable to conduct the operations as described herein. An example of a vehicle control system may be as described in conjunction with FIG. 3.

The vehicle control system 204 may interact with a memory or storage system 208 that stores system data. System data 208 may be any type of data needed for the vehicle control system 204 to control effectively the vehicle 104. The system data 208 can represent any type of database or other storage system. Thus, the system data 208 can be a flat file data system, an object-oriented data system, or some other data system that may interface with the vehicle control system 204.

The vehicle control system 204 may communicate with a device or user interface 212, 248. The user interface 212, 248 may be operable to receive user input either through touch input, on one or more user interface buttons, via voice command, via one or more image sensors, or through a graphical user interface that may include a gesture capture region, as described in conjunction with the other figures provided herein. Further, the symbol 212, 248 can represent a device that is located or associated with the vehicle 104. The device 212, 248 can be a mobile device, including, but not limited to, a mobile telephone, a mobile computer, or other type of computing system or device that is either permanently located in or temporarily associated with, but not necessarily connected to, the vehicle 104. Thus, the vehicle control system 204 can interface with the device 212, 248 and leverage the device's computing capability to provide one or more of the features or functions as described herein.

The device or user interface 212, 248 can receive input or provide information to a user 216. The user 216 may thus interact with the vehicle control system 204 through the interface or device 212, 248. Further, the device 212, 248 may include or have access to device data 220 and/or profile data 252. The device data 220 can be any type of data that is used in conjunction with the device 212, 248 including, but not limited to, multimedia data, preferences data, device identification information, or other types of data. The profile data 252 can be any type of data associated with at least one user 216 including, but in no way limited to, bioinformatics, medical information, driving history, personal information (e.g., home physical address, business physical address, contact addresses, likes, dislikes, hobbies, size, weight, occupation, business contacts—including physical and/or electronic addresses, personal contacts—including physical and/or electronic addresses, family members, and personal information related thereto, etc.), other user characteristics, advertising information, user settings and feature preferences, travel information, associated vehicle preferences, communication preferences, historical information (e.g., including historical, current, and/or future travel destinations), Internet browsing history, or other types of data. In any event, the data may be stored as device data 220 and/or profile data 252 in a storage system similar to that described in conjunction with FIGS. 12A through 12D.

As an example, the profile data 252 may include one or more user profiles. User profiles may be generated based on data gathered from one or more of vehicle preferences (e.g., seat settings, HVAC settings, dash configurations, and the like), recorded settings, geographic location information (e.g., provided by a satellite positioning system (e.g., GPS), Wi-Fi hotspot, cell tower data, etc.), mobile device information (such as mobile device electronic addresses, Internet browsing history and content, application store selections, user settings and enabled and disabled features, and the like), private information (such as user information from a social network, user presence information, user business account, and the like), secure data, biometric information, audio information from on board microphones, video information from on board cameras, Internet browsing history and browsed content using an on board computer and/or the local area network enabled by the vehicle 104, geographic location information (e.g., a vendor storefront, roadway name, city name, etc.), and the like.

The profile data 252 may include one or more user accounts. User accounts may include access and permissions to one or more settings and/or feature preferences associated with the vehicle 104, communications, infotainment, content, etc. In one example, a user account may allow access to certain settings for a particular user, while another user account may deny access to the settings for another user, and vice versa. The access controlled by the user account may be based on at least one of a user account priority, role, permission, age, family status, a group priority (e.g., the user account priority of one or more users, etc.), a group age (e.g., the average age of users in the group, a minimum age of the users in the group, a maximum age of the users in the group, and/or combinations thereof, etc.).

For example, a user 216 may be allowed to purchase applications (e.g., software, etc.) for the vehicle 104 and/or a device associated with the vehicle 104 based on information associated with the user account. This user account information may include a preferred payment method, permissions, and/or other account information. As provided herein, the user account information may be part of the user profile and/or other data stored in the profile data 252.

As another example, an adult user (e.g., a user with an age of 18 years old and/or over, etc.) may be located in an area of a vehicle 104, such as a rear passenger area. Continuing this example a child user (e.g., a user with an age of 17 years old and/or less, etc.) may be located in the same, or close, area. In this example, the user account information in the profile data 252 associated with both the adult user and the child user may be used by the vehicle 104 in determining whether content is appropriate for the area given the age of the child user. For instance, a graphic movie containing violence (e.g., a movie associated with a mature rating, such as a Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating of “R,” “NC-17,” etc.) may be suitable to present to a display device associated with the adult user but may not be acceptable to present to the display device if a 12-year old child user may see and/or hear the content of the movie.

The vehicle control system 204 may also communicate with or through a communication network 224. The communication network 224 can represent any type of wireless and/or wired communication system that may be included within the vehicle 104 or operable to communicate outside the vehicle 104. Thus, the communication network 224 can include a local area communication capability and a wide area communication capability. For example, the communication network 224 can include a Bluetooth® wireless system, an 802.11x (e.g., 802.11G/802.11N/802.11AC, or the like, wireless system), a CAN bus, an Ethernet network within the vehicle 104, or other types of communication networks that may function with or be associated with the vehicle 104. Further, the communication network 224 can also include wide area communication capabilities, including one or more of, but not limited to, a cellular communication capability, satellite telephone communication capability, a wireless wide area network communication capability, or other types of communication capabilities that allow for the vehicle control system 204 to communicate outside the vehicle 104.

The vehicle control system 204 may communicate through the communication network 224 to a server 228 that may be located in a facility that is not within physical proximity to the vehicle 104. Thus, the server 228 may represent a cloud computing system or cloud storage that allows the vehicle control system 204 to either gain access to further computing capabilities or to storage at a location outside of the vehicle 104. The server 228 can include a computer processor and memory and be similar to any computing system as understood to one skilled in the art.

Further, the server 228 may be associated with stored data 232. The stored data 232 may be stored in any system or by any method, as described in conjunction with system data 208, device data 220, and/or profile data 252. The stored data 232 can include information that may be associated with one or more users 216 or associated with one or more vehicles 104. The stored data 232, being stored in a cloud or in a distant facility, may be exchanged among vehicles 104 or may be used by a user 216 in different locations or with different vehicles 104. Additionally or alternatively, the server may be associated with profile data 252 as provided herein. It is anticipated that the profile data 252 may be accessed across the communication network 224 by one or more components of the system 200. Similar to the stored data 232, the profile data 252, being stored in a cloud or in a distant facility, may be exchanged among vehicles 104 or may be used by a user 216 in different locations or with different vehicles 104.

The vehicle control system 204 may also communicate with one or more sensors 236, 242, which are either associated with the vehicle 104 or communicate with the vehicle 104. Vehicle sensors 242 may include one or more sensors for providing information to the vehicle control system 204 that determine or provide information about the environment 100 in which the vehicle 104 is operating. Embodiments of these sensors may be as described in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-7B. Non-vehicle sensor 236 can be any type of sensor that is not currently associated with the vehicle 104. For example, non-vehicle sensor 236 can be sensors in a traffic system operated by a third party that provides data to the vehicle control system 204. Further, the non-vehicle sensor(s) 236 can be other types of sensors which provide information about the distant environment 116 or other information about the vehicle 104 or the environment 100. These non-vehicle sensors 236 may be operated by third parties but provide information to the vehicle control system 204. Examples of information provided by the sensors 236 and that may be used by the vehicle control system 204 may include weather tracking data, traffic data, user health tracking data, vehicle maintenance data, or other types of data, which may provide environmental or other data to the vehicle control system 204. The vehicle control system 204 may also perform signal processing of signals received from one or more sensors 236, 242. Such signal processing may include estimation of a measured parameter from a single sensor, such as multiple measurements of a range state parameter from the vehicle 104 to an obstacle, and/or the estimation, blending, or fusion of a measured state parameter from multiple sensors such as multiple radar sensors or a combination of a ladar/lidar range sensor and a radar sensor. Signal processing of such sensor signal measurements may comprise stochastic signal processing, adaptive signal processing, and/or other signal processing techniques known to those skilled in the art.

The various sensors 236, 242 may include one or more sensor memory 244. Embodiments of the sensor memory 244 may be configured to store data collected by the sensors 236, 242. For example, a temperature sensor may collect temperature data associated with a vehicle 104, user 216, and/or environment, over time. The temperature data may be collected incrementally, in response to a condition, or at specific time periods. In this example, as the temperature data is collected, it may be stored in the sensor memory 244. In some cases, the data may be stored along with an identification of the sensor and a collection time associated with the data. Among other things, this stored data may include multiple data points and may be used to track changes in sensor measurements over time. As can be appreciated, the sensor memory 244 can represent any type of database or other storage system.

The diagnostic communications module 256 may be configured to receive and transmit diagnostic signals and information associated with the vehicle 104. Examples of diagnostics signals and information may include, but is in no way limited to, vehicle system warnings, sensor data, vehicle component status, service information, component health, maintenance alerts, recall notifications, predictive analysis, and the like. Embodiments of the diagnostic communications module 256 may handle warning/error signals in a predetermined manner. The signals, for instance, can be presented to one or more of a third party, occupant, vehicle control system 204, and a service provider (e.g., manufacturer, repair facility, etc.).

Optionally, the diagnostic communications module 256 may be utilized by a third party (i.e., a party other than the user 216, etc.) in communicating vehicle diagnostic information. For instance, a manufacturer may send a signal to a vehicle 104 to determine a status associated with one or more components associated with the vehicle 104. In response to receiving the signal, the diagnostic communications module 256 may communicate with the vehicle control system 204 to initiate a diagnostic status check. Once the diagnostic status check is performed, the information may be sent via the diagnostic communications module 256 to the manufacturer. This example may be especially useful in determining whether a component recall should be issued based on the status check responses returned from a certain number of vehicles.

Wired/wireless transceiver/communications ports 260 may be included. The wired/wireless transceiver/communications ports 260 may be included to support communications over wired networks or links, for example with other communication devices, server devices, and/or peripheral devices. Examples of wired/wireless transceiver/communications ports 260 include Ethernet ports, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1594, or other interface ports.

An embodiment of a vehicle control environment 300 including a vehicle control system 204 may be as shown in FIG. 3. Beyond the vehicle control system 204, the vehicle control environment 300 can include one or more of, but is not limited to, a power source and/or power control module 316, a data storage module 320, user interface(s)/input interface(s) 324, vehicle subsystems 328, user interaction subsystems 332, Global Positioning System (GPS)/Navigation subsystems 336, sensor(s) and/or sensor subsystems 340, communication subsystems 344, media subsystems 348, and/or device interaction subsystems 352. The subsystems, modules, components, etc. 316-352 may include hardware, software, firmware, computer readable media, displays, input devices, output devices, etc. or combinations thereof. The system, subsystems, modules, components, etc. 204, 316-352 may communicate over a network or bus 356. This communication bus 356 may be bidirectional and perform data communications using any known or future-developed standard or protocol. An example of the communication bus 356 may be as described in conjunction with FIG. 4.

The vehicle control system 204 can include a processor 304, memory 308, and/or an input/output (I/O) module 312. Thus, the vehicle control system 204 may be a computer system, which can comprise hardware elements that may be electrically coupled. The hardware elements may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 304; one or more components of the I/O module 312 including input devices (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.) and/or one or more output devices (e.g., a display device, a printer, etc.).

The processor 304 may comprise a general purpose programmable processor or controller for executing application programming or instructions. The processor 304 may, optionally, include multiple processor cores, and/or implement multiple virtual processors. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 304 may include multiple physical processors. As a particular example, the processor 304 may comprise a specially configured application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a controller, a hardwired electronic or logic circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array, a special purpose computer, or the like. The processor 304 generally functions to run programming code or instructions implementing various functions of the vehicle control system 204.

The input/output module 312 and associated ports may be included to support communications over wired or wireless networks or links, for example with other communication devices, server devices, and/or peripheral devices. Examples of an input/output module 312 include an Ethernet port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1594, or other interface.

The vehicle control system 204 may also include one or more storage devices 308. By way of example, storage devices 308 may be disk drives, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as a random access memory (“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can be programmable, flash-updateable and/or the like. The vehicle control system 204 may additionally include a computer-readable storage media reader; a communications system (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infra-red communication device, etc.); and working memory 308, which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. The vehicle control system 204 may also include a processing acceleration unit, which can include a digital signal processor (DSP), a special-purpose processor, and/or the like.

The computer-readable storage media reader can further be connected to a computer-readable storage medium, together (and, optionally, in combination with storage device(s)) comprehensively representing remote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and/or more permanently containing computer-readable information. The communications system may permit data to be exchanged with an external or internal network and/or any other computer or device described herein. Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storage medium” may represent one or more devices for storing data, including read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices, and/or other machine readable mediums for storing information.

The vehicle control system 204 may also comprise software elements including an operating system and/or other code, as described in conjunction with FIG. 10. It should be appreciated that alternates to the vehicle control system 204 may have numerous variations from that described herein. For example, customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), or both. Further, connection to other computing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed.

The power source and/or power control module 316 can include any type of power source, including, but not limited to, batteries, alternating current sources (from connections to a building power system or power line), solar cell arrays, etc. One or more components or modules may also be included to control the power source or change the characteristics of the provided power signal. Such modules can include one or more of, but is not limited to, power regulators, power filters, alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converters, DC to AC converters, receptacles, wiring, other converters, etc. The power source and/or power control module 316 functions to provide the vehicle control system 204 and any other system with power.

The data storage 320 can include any module for storing, retrieving, and/or managing data in one or more data stores and/or databases. The database or data stores may reside on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) the vehicle control system 204 or in the vehicle 104. Alternatively, some of the data storage capability may be remote from the vehicle control system 204 or automobile, and in communication (e.g., via a network) to the vehicle control system 204. The database or data stores may reside in a storage-area network (“SAN”) familiar to those skilled in the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functions attributed to the vehicle control system 204 may be stored locally on the respective vehicle control system 204 and/or remotely, as appropriate. The databases or data stores may be a relational database, and the data storage module 320 may be adapted to store, update, and retrieve data in response to specifically-formatted commands. The data storage module 320 may also perform data management functions for any flat file, object oriented, or other type of database or data store.

A first data store that may be part of the vehicle control environment 300 is a profile data store 252 for storing data about user profiles and data associated with the users. A system data store 208 can include data used by the vehicle control system 204 and/or one or more of the components 324-352 to facilitate the functionality described herein. The data stores 208 and/or 252 may be as described in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and/or 12A-12D.

The user interface/input interfaces 324 may be as described herein for providing information or data and/or for receiving input or data from a user. Vehicle systems 328 can include any of the mechanical, electrical, electromechanical, computer, or other systems associated with the function of the vehicle 100. For example, vehicle systems 328 can include one or more of, but is not limited to, the steering system, the braking system, the engine and engine control systems, the electrical system, the suspension, the drive train, the cruise control system, the radio, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, the windows and/or doors, etc. These systems are well known in the art and will not be described further.

Examples of the other systems and subsystems 324-352 may be as described further herein. For example, the user interface(s)/input interface(s) 324 may be as described in FIGS. 2 and 8B; the vehicle subsystems 328 may be as described in FIG. 6a et. seq.; the user interaction subsystem 332 may be as described in conjunction with the user/device interaction subsystem 817 of FIG. 8B; the Navigation subsystem 336 may be as described in FIGS. 6A and 8C; the sensor(s)/sensor subsystem 340 may be as described in FIGS. 7A and 7B; the communication subsystem 344 may be as described in FIGS. 2, 4, 5B, 5C, and 9; the media subsystem 348 may be as described in FIG. 8A; and, the device interaction subsystem 352 may be as described in FIG. 2 and in conjunction with the user/device interaction subsystem 817 of FIG. 8B.

FIG. 4 illustrates an optional communications channel architecture 400 and associated communications components. FIG. 4 illustrates some of the optional components that can be interconnected via the communication channels/zones 404. Communication channels/zones 404 can carry information on one or more of a wired and/or wireless communications link with, in the illustrated example, there being three communications channels/zones, 408, 412, and 416.

This optional environment 400 can also include an IP router 420, an operator cluster 424, one or more storage devices 428, one or more blades, such as master blade 432, and computational blades 436 and 440. Additionally, the communications channels/zones 404 can interconnect one or more displays, such as, remote display 1 444, remote display N 448, and console display 452. The communications channels/zones 404 also interconnect an access point 456, a Bluetooth® access point/USB hub 460, a Femtocell 464, a storage controller 468, that is connected to one or more of USB devices 472, DVDs 476, or other storage devices 480. To assist with managing communications within the communication channel, the environment 400 optionally includes a firewall 484 which will be discussed hereinafter in greater detail. Other components that could also share the communications channel/zones 404 include GPS 488, media controller 492, which is connected to one or more media sources 496, and one or more subsystems, such as subsystem switches 498.

Optionally, the communications channels/zones 404 can be viewed as an I/O network or bus where the communications channels are carried on the same physical media. Optionally, the communication channels 404 can be split amongst one or more physical media and/or combined with one or more wireless communications protocols. Optionally, the communications channels 404 can be based on wireless protocols with no physical media interconnecting the various elements described herein.

The environment 400 shown in FIG. 4 can include a collection of blade processors that are housed in a “crate.” The crate can have a PC-style backplane connector 408 and a backplane Ethernet 408 that allows the various blades to communicate with one another using, for example, an Ethernet.

Various other functional elements illustrated in FIG. 4 can be integrated into this crate architecture with, as discussed hereinafter, various zones utilized for security. Optionally, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the backplane 404/408 can have two separate Ethernet zones that may or may not be on the same communications channel. Optionally, the zones exist on a single communications channel on the I/O network/bus 408. Optionally, the zones are actually on different communications channels, e.g., 412, 416; however, the implementation is not restricted to any particular type of configuration. Rather, as illustrated in FIG. 4, there can be a red zone 417 and a green zone 413, and the I/O backplane on the network/bus 408 that enables standard I/O operations. This backplane or I/O network/bus 408 also optionally can provide power distribution to the various modules and blades illustrated in FIG. 4. The red and green Ethernet zones, 417 and 413 respectively, can be implemented as Ethernet switches, with one on each side of the firewall 484. Two Ethernets (untrusted and trusted) are not connected in accordance with an optional embodiment. Optionally, the connector geometry for the firewall can be different for the Ethernet zones than for the blades that are a part of the system.

The red zone 417 only needs to go from the modular connector to the input side of the backplane connector of the firewall 484. While FIG. 4 indicates that there are five external red zone connectors to the firewall 484, provisions can be made for any number of ports with the connections being made at the access point 456, the Bluetooth® access point (combo controller) 460, Femtocell 464, storage controller 468, and/or firewall 484. Optionally, the external port connections can be made through a manufacturer configurable modular connector panel, and one or more of the red zone Ethernet ports could be available through a customer supplied crate which allows, for example, wired Ethernet connections from a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) to the firewall 484.

The green zone 413 goes from the output side of the firewall 484 and generally defines the trusted Ethernet. The Ethernet on the backplane 408 essentially implements an Ethernet switch for the entire system, defining the Ethernet backbone of the vehicle 104. All other modules, e.g., blades, etc., can connect to a standard backplane bus and the trusted Ethernet. Some number of switch ports can be reserved to connect to an output modular connector panel to distribute the Ethernet throughout the vehicle 104, e.g., connecting such elements as the console display 452, remote displays 444, 448, GPS 488, etc. Optionally, only trusted components, either provided or approved by the manufacturer after testing, can be attached to the green zone 413, which is by definition in the trusted Ethernet environment.

Optionally, the environment 400, shown in FIG. 4, utilizes IPv6 over Ethernet connections wherever possible. Using, for example, the Broadcom single-twisted pair Ethernet technology, wiring harnesses are simplified and data transmission speeds are maximized. However, while the Broadcom single-twisted pair Ethernet technology can be used, in general, systems and methods can work comparably well with any type of well-known Ethernet technology or other comparable communications technology.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 the I/O network/bus 408 is a split-bus concept that contains three independent bus structures:

The red zone 417—the untrusted Ethernet environment. This zone 417 may be used to connect network devices and customer provided devices to the vehicle information system with these devices being on the untrusted side of the firewall 484.

The green zone 413—the trusted Ethernet environment, this zone 413 can be used to connect manufacturer certified devices such as GPS units, remote displays, subsystem switches, and the like, to the vehicle network 404. Manufacturer certified devices can be implemented by vendors that allow the vehicle software system to validate whether or not a device is certified to operate with the vehicle 100. Optionally, only certified devices are allowed to connect to the trusted side of the network.

The I/O bus 409—the I/O bus may be used to provide power and data transmission to bus-based devices such as the vehicle solid state drive, the media controller blade 492, the computational blades 436, 440, and the like.

As an example, the split-bus structure can have the following minimum configuration:

-   -   Two slots for the red zone Ethernet;     -   One slot for built-in LTE/WiMax access 420 from the car to other         network resources such as the cloud/Internet;     -   One slot for user devices or bring-your-own device access, this         slot can implement, for example, WiFi, Bluetooth®, and/or USB         connectivity 456, which can be provided in, for example, the         customer crate;     -   One slot for combined red zone and green zone Ethernet, this         slot can be reserved for the firewall controller;     -   Two slots for computational blades. Here the two computation         blades are illustratively as shown the optional master blade and         the multimedia blade or controller 492 which can be provided as         standard equipment; and     -   The expansion controller that allows the I/O bus to be extended         and provides additional Ethernet switch ports for one or more of         the red or green zones, which may require that the basic green         zone Ethernet switch implementation will support additional         ports beyond the initial three that are needed for the basic         exemplary system.     -   It should be possible to build 8 or 16 or more Ethernet switches         that allow for the expansion with existing component(s) in a         straight-forward manner.

The red zone 417 can be implemented as an 8-port Ethernet switch that has three actual bus ports within the crate with the remaining five ports being available on the customer crate. The crate implements red zone slots for the firewall controller 484, the combo controller which includes WiFi, Bluetooth®, USB hub (456, 460) and the IP router 420.

The firewall controller 484 can have a dedicated slot that bridges the red zone 417, green zone 413, and uses the I/O bus for power connections. In accordance with an optional low cost implementation, the firewall 484 can be implemented by a dummy module that simply bridges the red zone 417 and the green zone 413 without necessarily providing any firewall functionality. The combo controller 460 that includes the WiFi, Bluetooth®, and USB hub can be provided for consumer device connections. This controller can also implement the IPv6 (un-routable) protocol to insure that all information is packetized for transmission via IP over the Ethernet in the I/O network/bus 408.

The combo controller 460 with the USB hub can have ports in the customer crate. The combo controller 460 can implement USB discovery functions and packetizes the information for transmission via IP over Ethernet. The combo controller 460 can also facilitate installation of the correct USB driver for the discovered device, such as a BYOD from the user. The combo controller 460 and USB hub can then map the USB address to a “local” IPv6 address for interaction with one or more of the computational blades which is generally going to be the media controller 492.

The IP router 420 can implement Internet access through a manufacturer provided service. This service can allow, for example, a manufacturer to offer value-added services to be integrated into the vehicle information systems. The existence of the manufacturer provided Internet access can also allow the “e-Call” function and other vehicle data recorder functions to be implemented. IP router 420 also allows, for example, WiMax, 4G LTE, and other connections to the Internet through a service provider that can be, for example, contracted by the manufacturer. Internally, the IP router 420 can allow cellular handset connections to the Internet through a Femtocell 464 that is part of the IP router implementation. The IP router 420, with the Femtocell 464, can also allow a cone of silence functionality to be implemented. The IP router 420 can be an optional component for a vehicle provided by, for example, the manufacturer, a dealer, or installed by a user. In the absence of the IP router 420, it is possible to connect a consumer handheld device to the I/O network/bus 408 using, for example, either WiFi or Bluetooth® 456, 460. While functionality may be somewhat reduced when using a handheld device instead of a built-in Ethernet connection, systems and methods of this invention can also work utilizing this consumer handheld device which then connects to the Internet via, for example, WiMax, 4G, 4G LTE, or the like.

FIGS. 5A-5C show configurations of a vehicle 104. In general, a vehicle 104 may provide functionality based at least partially on one or more areas, zones, and distances, associated with the vehicle 104. Non-limiting examples of this functionality are provided herein below.

An arrangement or configuration for sensors within a vehicle 104 is as shown in FIG. 5A. The sensor arrangement 500 can include one or more areas 508 within the vehicle. An area can be a larger part of the environment inside or outside of the vehicle 104. Thus, area one 508A may include the area within the trunk space or engine space of the vehicle 104 and/or the front passenger compartment. Area two 508B may include a portion of the interior space 108 (e.g., a passenger compartment, etc.) of the vehicle 104. The area N, 508N, may include the trunk space or rear compartment area, when included within the vehicle 104. The interior space 108 may also be divided into other areas. Thus, one area may be associated with the front passenger's and driver's seats, a second area may be associated with the middle passengers' seats, and a third area may be associated with a rear passenger's seat. Each area 508 may include one or more sensors that are positioned or operate to provide environmental information about that area 508.

Each area 508 may be further separated into one or more zones 512 within the area 508. For example, area 1 508A may be separated into zone A 512A, and zone B 512B. Each zone 512 may be associated with a particular portion of the interior occupied by a passenger. For example, zone A 512A may be associated with a driver. Zone B 512B, may be associated with a front passenger. Each zone 512 may include one or more sensors that are positioned or configured to collect information about the environment or ecosystem associated with that zone or person.

A passenger area 508B may include more than two zones as described in conjunction with area 508A. For example, area 508B may include three zones, 512C, 512D, and 512E. These three separate zones 512C, 512D, and 512E may be associated with three passenger seats typically found in the rear passenger area of a vehicle 104. An area 508N and may include a single zone 512N as there may be no separate passenger areas but may include a single trunk area within the vehicle 104. The number of zones 512 is unlimited within the areas as the areas are also unlimited inside the vehicle 104. Further, it should be noted that there may be one or areas 508 or zones 512 that may be located outside the vehicle 104 that may have a specific set of sensors associated therewith.

Optionally, each area/access point 508, 456, 516, 520, and/or zone 512, associated with a vehicle 104, may comprise one or more sensors to determine a presence of a user 216 and/or device 212, 248 in and/or adjacent to each area 508, 456, 516, 520, and/or zone 512. The sensors may include vehicle sensors 242 and/or non-vehicle sensors 236 as described herein. It is anticipated that the sensors may be configured to communicate with a vehicle control system 204 and/or the diagnostic communications module 256. Additionally or alternatively, the sensors may communicate with a device 212, 248. The communication of sensors with the vehicle 104 may initiate and/or terminate the control of device 212, 248 features. For example, a vehicle operator may be located in a second outside area 520 associated with a vehicle 104. As the operator approaches the first outside area 516, associated with the vehicle 104, the vehicle control system 204 may determine to control features associated with one or more device 212, 248 and diagnostic communications module 256.

Optionally, the location of the device 212, 248 relative to the vehicle 104 may determine vehicle functionality and/or features to be provided and/or restricted to a user 216. By way of example, a device 212, 248 associated with a user 216 may be located at a second outside area 520 from the vehicle 104. In this case, and based at least partially on the distance of the device 212, 248 from the vehicle 104 (e.g., provided by detecting the device 212, 248 at or beyond the second outside area 520) the vehicle 104 may lock one or more features (e.g., ignition access, vehicle access, communications ability, etc.) associated with the vehicle 104. Optionally, the vehicle 104 may provide an alert based on the distance of the device 212, 248 from the vehicle 104. Continuing the example above, once the device 212, 248 reaches the first outside area 516 of the vehicle 104 at least one of the vehicle features may be unlocked. For instance, by reaching the first outside area 516, the vehicle 104 may unlock a door of the vehicle 104. In some cases, when the device is detected to be inside the vehicle 104, the various sensors 236, 242 may determine that the user 216 is in an area 508 and/or zone 512. As is further described herein, features of the vehicle 104, device 212, 248, and/or other components may be controlled based on rules stored in a memory.

FIG. 5B illustrates optional internal vehicle communications between one or more of the vehicle and one or more devices or between devices. Various communications can occur utilizing one or more Bluetooth®, NFC, WiFi, mobile hot spot, point-to-point communications, point-to-multipoint other point communications, an ad hoc network, or in general any known communications protocol over any known communications media or media-types.

Optionally, various types of internal vehicle communications can be facilitated using an access point 456 that utilizes one or more of Bluetooth®, NFC, WiFi, wireless Ethernet, mobile hot spot technology, or the like. Upon being connected with, and optionally authenticated to the access point 456, the connected device is able to communicate with one or more of the vehicle and one or more other devices that are connected to the access point 456. The type of connection to the access point 456 can be based on, for example, the zone 512, in which the device is located.

The user may identify their zone 512 in conjunction with an authentication procedure to the access point 456. For example, a driver in zone A 512A, upon authenticating to the access point 456, can cause the access point 456 to send a query to the device asking the device user in which zone 512 they are located. As discussed hereinafter, the zone 512 the user device is located in may have an impact on the type of communications, available bandwidth, the types of other devices or vehicle systems or subsystems the device could communicate with, and the like. As a brief introduction, internal communications with zone A 512A may be given preferential treatment over those communications originating from area 2 508B, which could have in itself, preferential treatment over communications originating within area N 508N.

Moreover, the device in zone A 512A can include profile information that governs the other devices that are allowed to connect to the access point 456 and what those devices have access to, how they can communicate, how much bandwidth they are allocated, and the like. While, optionally, the device associated with zone A 512A will be considered the “master” controller of the profile that governs the internal vehicle communications, it should be appreciated that this was arbitrarily chosen since it is assumed that there will always be a driver in a car that is present in zone A 512A. However, it should be appreciated the driver in zone A 512A, for example, may not have a communications device in which case a device associated with one of the other areas or zones, such as zone B 512B, area 2 508B, or area N 508N could also be associated with or control this master profile.

Optionally, various devices located within the various zones 512 can connect using, for example, ports provided by access point 456 or Bluetooth® access point/USB hub 460 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Similarly, the device(s) could connect utilizing the Femtocell 464 and optionally be directly connected via, for example, a standard Ethernet port.

As discussed, each one of the areas, area 1 508A, area 2 508B, and area N 508N, can each have associated therewith a profile that governs, for example, how many and what types of devices can connect from that area 508, bandwidth allocated to that area 508, the types of media or content available to device(s) within that area 508, the interconnection of devices within that area 508 or between areas 508, or, in general, can control any aspect of communication of an associated device with any one or more other associated devices/vehicle systems within the vehicle 104.

Optionally, area 2 508B devices can be provided with full access to multimedia and infotainment available within the vehicle 104, however, devices in area 2 508B may be restricted from any access to vehicle functions. Only devices in area 1 508A may be able to access vehicle control functions such as when “parents” are located in area 1 508A and the children are located in area 2 508B. Optionally, devices found in zone E 512E of area 2 508B may be able to access limited vehicle control functionality such as climate control within area 2. Similarly, devices in area N 508N may be able to control climate features within zone N 512N.

As will be appreciated, profiles can be established that allow management of communications within each of the areas 508, and further optionally within each of the zones 512. The profile can be granular in nature controlling not only what type of devices can connect within each zone 512, but how those devices can communicate with other devices and/or the vehicle and types of information that can be communicated.

To assist with identifying a location of a device within a zone 512, a number of different techniques can be utilized. One optional technique involves one or more of the vehicle sensors detecting the presence of an individual within one of the zones 512. Upon detection of an individual in a zone 512, communications subsystems 344 and the access point 456 can cooperate to not only associate the device within the zone 512 with the access point 456 but to also determine the location of the device within an area, and optionally within a zone 512. Once the device is established within a zone 512, a profile associated with the vehicle 104 can store information identifying that device and/or a person and optionally associating it with a particular zone 512 as a default. As discussed, there can be a master profile optionally associated with the device in zone A 512A, this master profile can govern communications with the communications subsystems 340 and where communications within vehicle 104 are to occur.

Some optional profiles are illustrated below where the Master Profile governs other device connectivity:

Master Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other All Communications Allow Access to No Access Master Profile acts Infotainment as Firewall and Router All Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Climate Control Secondary Profile (e.g., device in Zone B 512B, Area 1 508A)

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other All Communications Allow Access to Allow Access to Master Profile acts Infotainment Infotainment as Firewall and Router All Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Allow Area 2 Climate Control Climate Control Secondary Profile, Option 2

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other All Communications Allow Access to Allow Access to Infotainment, Infotainment Internet All Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Allow Area 2 Except Driver- Climate Control Climate Control centric Controls

Some optional profiles are illustrated below where the Area/Zone governs device connectivity:

Area 2 508B Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other No Communications Allow Access to with Area 1 Devices Infotainment, Allow Access to Other Area 2 or Zone N Devices, Internet No Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Climate Control Area N 508N Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other Communications Allow Access to with Area 1, Zone B Infotainment, Allow Device Access to Other Area N or Zone N Devices No Vehicle Controls Allow Area N Climate Control Area 2 508B Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other Media Sharing with Allow Access to Area 1, Zone B and Infotainment, Allow Vehicle Access to Other Area 2 or Zone N Devices, Internet and Femtocell No Vehicle Controls

Optionally, a user's device, such as a SmartPhone, can store in, for example a profile, with which zone 512 the user's device is associated. Then, assuming the user sits in the same zone 512 and area 508 as previously, the user's device can re-establish the same communications protocols with the access point 456 as were previously established.

In addition or in the alternative, the areas 508 and zones 512 can have associated therewith restrictions as to which one or more other user's devices with which users' devices can connect. For example, a first user's device can connect with any other user device in area 2 508B or area N 508N, however is restricted from connecting with a user device in area 1 508A, zone A 512A. However, the first user device may be able to communicate with another user's device that is located in area 1 508A, zone B 512B. These communications can include any type of standard communications such as sharing content, exchanging messages, forwarding or sharing multimedia or infotainment, or in general can include any communications that would ordinarily be available between two devices and/or the vehicle and vehicle systems. As discussed, there may be restrictions on the type of communications that can be sent to the device in area 1 508A, zone A 512A. For example, the user's device in area 1 508A, zone A 512A may be restricted from receiving one or more of text messages, multimedia, infotainment, or in general anything that can be envisioned as a potential distraction to the driver. Moreover, it should be appreciated that the communications between the various devices and the various zones 512 need not necessarily occur with the assistance of access point 456, but the communications could also occur directly between the device(s).

FIG. 5C outlines optional internal vehicle communications between one or more of the vehicle and one or more devices. More specifically, FIG. 5C illustrates an example of vehicle communications where the vehicle 104 is equipped with the necessary transceivers to provide a mobile hot spot functionality to any user device(s) therein, such as user devices 248A and 248N.

Optionally, and as discussed above, one or more user devices can connect to the access point 456. This access point 456 is equipped to handle communications routing to not only the communication network/buses 224 for intra-vehicle communications, but optionally can also communicate with, for example, the Internet or the cloud, in cooperation with transceiver 260. Optionally included is a firewall 484 that has the capability of not only blocking certain types of content, such as a malicious content, but can also operate to exclude certain type of communications from emanating from the vehicle 104 and transceiver 260. As will be appreciated, various profiles could be established in the firewall 484 that controls not only the type of communications that can be received at the vehicle 104, but the type of communications that can be sent from the vehicle 104.

The transceiver 260 can be any type of well-known wireless transceiver that communicates using a known communications protocol such as WiMax, 4G, 4G LTE, 3G, or the like. The user devices can communicate via, for example, WiFi link 248 with the access point 456, with the transceiver 260 providing Internet connectivity to the various user devices. As will be appreciated, there may need to be an account associated with transceiver 260 with a wireless carrier to provide data and/or voice connectivity to enable the user devices to communicate with the Internet. Typically, the account is established on a month-to-month basis with an associated fee but could also be performed based on the amount of data to be transmitted, received, or in any other manner.

Moreover, one or more of the user's devices and access point 456 can maintain profile information that governs how the user's devices are able to communicate with other devices, and optionally the Internet. Optionally, a profile can exist that only allows the user's devices to communicate with other user's devices and/or the vehicle, multimedia and/or the vehicle infotainment system, and may not be allowed access to the Internet via transceiver 260. The profile can stipulate that the user's device could connect to the Internet via transceiver 260 for a specified period of time and/or up to a certain amount of data usage. The user's device can have full access to the Internet via transceiver 260 with no limit on time or data usage which would reduce the data usage of the user's device since it is connected via WiFi to the access point 456, but however, would increase the data usage by transceiver 260, and therefore, shift the billing for that data usage to the transceiver 260 instead of the user's device. Still further, and as previously discussed, the various profiles may stipulate which user's device has priority for use of the bandwidth provided by the transceiver 260. For example, a user's device located area 1 508A, zone A 512A may be given preferential routing treatment of data above that of a user's device in zone N 512N. In this manner, for example, a driver would be given priority for Internet access above that of the passengers. This could become important, for example, when the driver is trying to obtain traffic or direction information or, for example, when the vehicle is performing a download to update various software features.

As will be appreciated, the optional firewall 484 can cooperate with the access point 456 and the various profiles that area 508 associated with the various devices within the vehicle 104 and can fully implement communications restrictions, control bandwidth limits, Internet accessibility, malicious software blocking, and the like. Moreover, the optional firewall 484 can be accessed by an administrator with one or more of these configuration settings edited through an administrator's control panel. For example, in a scenario where parents are always in area 1 508A, it may be appropriate to give all of the user's devices in area 1 508A full access to the Internet utilizing transceiver 260, however, while restricting access and/or bandwidth to any other user devices within the vehicle 104. As the user's device and profile would be known by the firewall 484, upon the user's device being associated with the access point 456, the firewall 484 and transceiver 260 can be configured to allow communications in accordance with the stored profile.

A set of sensors or vehicle components 600 associated with the vehicle 104 may be as shown in FIG. 6A. The vehicle 104 can include, among many other components common to vehicles, wheels 607, a power source 609 (such as an engine, motor, or energy storage system (e.g., battery or capacitive energy storage system)), a manual or automatic transmission 612, a manual or automatic transmission gear controller 616, a power controller 620 (such as a throttle), a vehicle control system 204, the display device 212, a braking system 636, a steering wheel 640, a power source activation/deactivation switch 644 (e.g., an ignition), an occupant seating system 648, a wireless signal receiver 653 to receive wireless signals from signal sources such as roadside beacons and other electronic roadside devices, and a satellite positioning system receiver 657 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (“GPS”) (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo positioning system (EU), Compass navigation system (China), and Regional Navigational Satellite System (India) receiver), driverless systems (e.g., cruise control systems, automatic steering systems, automatic braking systems, etc.).

The vehicle 104 can include a number of sensors in wireless or wired communication with the vehicle control system 204 and/or display device 212, 248 to collect sensed information regarding the vehicle state, configuration, and/or operation. Exemplary sensors may include one or more of, but are not limited to, wheel state sensor 660 to sense one or more of vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration, wheel rotation, wheel speed (e.g., wheel revolutions-per-minute), wheel slip, and the like, a power source energy output sensor 664 to sense a power output of the power source 609 by measuring one or more of current engine speed (e.g., revolutions-per-minute), energy input and/or output (e.g., voltage, current, fuel consumption, and torque) (e.g., turbine speed sensor, input speed sensor, crankshaft position sensor, manifold absolute pressure sensor, mass flow sensor, and the like), and the like, a switch state sensor 668 to determine a current activation or deactivation state of the power source activation/deactivation switch 644, a transmission setting sensor 670 to determine a current setting of the transmission (e.g., gear selection or setting), a gear controller sensor 672 to determine a current setting of the gear controller 616, a power controller sensor 674 to determine a current setting of the power controller 620, a brake sensor 676 to determine a current state (braking or non-braking) of the braking system 636, a seating system sensor 678 to determine a seat setting and current weight of seated occupant, if any) in a selected seat of the seating system 648, exterior and interior sound receivers 690 and 692 (e.g., a microphone, sonar, and other type of acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor) to receive and convert sound waves into an equivalent analog or digital signal. Examples of other sensors (not shown) that may be employed include safety system state sensors to determine a current state of a vehicular safety system (e.g., air bag setting (deployed or undeployed) and/or seat belt setting (engaged or not engaged)), light setting sensor (e.g., current headlight, emergency light, brake light, parking light, fog light, interior or passenger compartment light, and/or tail light state (on or off)), brake control (e.g., pedal) setting sensor, accelerator pedal setting or angle sensor, clutch pedal setting sensor, emergency brake pedal setting sensor, door setting (e.g., open, closed, locked or unlocked) sensor, engine temperature sensor, passenger compartment or cabin temperature sensor, window setting (open or closed) sensor, one or more interior-facing or exterior-facing cameras or other imaging sensors (which commonly convert an optical image into an electronic signal but may include other devices for detection objects such as an electromagnetic radiation emitter/receiver that emits electromagnetic radiation and receives electromagnetic waves reflected by the object) to sense objects, such as other vehicles and pedestrians and optionally determine the distance, trajectory and speed of such objects, in the vicinity or path of the vehicle, odometer reading sensor, trip mileage reading sensor, wind speed sensor, radar transmitter/receiver output, brake wear sensor, steering/torque sensor, oxygen sensor, ambient lighting sensor, vision system sensor, ranging sensor, parking sensor, heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) sensor, water sensor, air-fuel ratio meter, blind spot monitor, hall effect sensor, microphone, radio frequency (RF) sensor, infrared (IR) sensor, vehicle control system sensors, wireless network sensor (e.g., Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth® sensor), cellular data sensor, and other sensors either future-developed or known to those of skill in the vehicle art.

In the depicted vehicle embodiment, the various sensors can be in communication with the display device 212, 248 and vehicle control system 204 via signal carrier network 224. As noted, the signal carrier network 224 can be a network of signal conductors, a wireless network (e.g., a radio frequency, microwave, or infrared communication system using a communications protocol, such as Wi-Fi), or a combination thereof. The vehicle control system 204 may also provide signal processing of one or more sensors, sensor fusion of similar and/or dissimilar sensors, signal smoothing in the case of erroneous “wild point” signals, and/or sensor fault detection. For example, ranging measurements provided by one or more RF sensors may be combined with ranging measurements from one or more IR sensors to determine one fused estimate of vehicle range to an obstacle target.

The control system 204 may receive and read sensor signals, such as wheel and engine speed signals, as a digital input comprising, for example, a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal. The processor 304 can be configured, for example, to read each of the signals into a port configured as a counter or configured to generate an interrupt on receipt of a pulse, such that the processor 304 can determine, for example, the engine speed in revolutions per minute (RPM) and the speed of the vehicle in miles per hour (MPH) and/or kilometers per hour (KPH). One skilled in the art will recognize that the two signals can be received from existing sensors in a vehicle comprising a tachometer and a speedometer, respectively. Alternatively, the current engine speed and vehicle speed can be received in a communication packet as numeric values from a conventional dashboard subsystem comprising a tachometer and a speedometer. The transmission speed sensor signal can be similarly received as a digital input comprising a signal coupled to a counter or interrupt signal of the processor 304 or received as a value in a communication packet on a network or port interface from an existing subsystem of the vehicle 104. The ignition sensor signal can be configured as a digital input, wherein a HIGH value represents that the ignition is on and a LOW value represents that the ignition is OFF. Three bits of the port interface can be configured as a digital input to receive the gear shift position signal, representing eight possible gear shift positions. Alternatively, the gear shift position signal can be received in a communication packet as a numeric value on the port interface. The throttle position signal can be received as an analog input value, typically in the range 0-5 volts. Alternatively, the throttle position signal can be received in a communication packet as a numeric value on the port interface. The output of other sensors can be processed in a similar fashion.

Other sensors may be included and positioned in the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. Generally, these interior sensors obtain data about the health of the driver and/or passenger(s), data about the safety of the driver and/or passenger(s), and/or data about the comfort of the driver and/or passenger(s). The health data sensors can include sensors in the steering wheel that can measure various health telemetry for the person (e.g., heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, blood presence, blood composition, etc.). Sensors in the seats may also provide for health telemetry (e.g., presence of liquid, weight, weight shifts, etc.). Infrared sensors could detect a person's temperature; optical sensors can determine a person's position and whether the person has become unconscious. Other health sensors are possible and included herein.

Safety sensors can measure whether the person is acting safely. Optical sensors can determine a person's position and focus. If the person stops looking at the road ahead, the optical sensor can detect the lack of focus. Sensors in the seats may detect if a person is leaning forward or may be injured by a seat belt in a collision. Other sensors can detect that the driver has at least one hand on a steering wheel. Other safety sensors are possible and contemplated as if included herein.

Comfort sensors can collect information about a person's comfort. Temperature sensors may detect a temperature of the interior cabin. Moisture sensors can determine a relative humidity. Audio sensors can detect loud sounds or other distractions. Audio sensors may also receive input from a person through voice data. Other comfort sensors are possible and contemplated as if included herein.

FIG. 6B shows an interior sensor configuration for one or more zones 512 of a vehicle 104 optionally. Optionally, the areas 508 and/or zones 512 of a vehicle 104 may include sensors that are configured to collect information associated with the interior 108 of a vehicle 104. In particular, the various sensors may collect environmental information, user information, and safety information, to name a few. Embodiments of these sensors may be as described in conjunction with FIGS. 7A-8B.

Optionally, the sensors may include one or more of optical, or image, sensors 622A-B (e.g., cameras, etc.), motion sensors 624A-B (e.g., utilizing RF, IR, and/or other sound/image sensing, etc.), steering wheel user sensors 642 (e.g., heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, sweat, health, etc.), seat sensors 677 (e.g., weight, load cell, moisture, electrical, force transducer, etc.), safety restraint sensors 679 (e.g., seatbelt, airbag, load cell, force transducer, etc.), interior sound receivers 692A-B, environmental sensors 694 (e.g., temperature, humidity, air, oxygen, etc.), and the like.

The image sensors 622A-B may be used alone or in combination to identify objects, users 216, and/or other features, inside the vehicle 104. Optionally, a first image sensor 622A may be located in a different position within a vehicle 104 from a second image sensor 622B. When used in combination, the image sensors 622A-B may combine captured images to form, among other things, stereo and/or three-dimensional (3D) images. The stereo images can be recorded and/or used to determine depth associated with objects and/or users 216 in a vehicle 104. Optionally, the image sensors 622A-B used in combination may determine the complex geometry associated with identifying characteristics of a user 216. For instance, the image sensors 622A-B may be used to determine dimensions between various features of a user's face (e.g., the depth/distance from a user's nose to a user's cheeks, a linear distance between the center of a user's eyes, and more). These dimensions may be used to verify, record, and even modify characteristics that serve to identify a user 216. As can be appreciated, utilizing stereo images can allow for a user 216 to provide complex gestures in a 3D space of the vehicle 104. These gestures may be interpreted via one or more of the subsystems as disclosed herein. Optionally, the image sensors 622A-B may be used to determine movement associated with objects and/or users 216 within the vehicle 104. It should be appreciated that the number of image sensors used in a vehicle 104 may be increased to provide greater dimensional accuracy and/or views of a detected image in the vehicle 104.

The vehicle 104 may include one or more motion sensors 624A-B. These motion sensors 624A-B may detect motion and/or movement of objects inside the vehicle 104. Optionally, the motion sensors 624A-B may be used alone or in combination to detect movement. For example, a user 216 may be operating a vehicle 104 (e.g., while driving, etc.) when a passenger in the rear of the vehicle 104 unbuckles a safety belt and proceeds to move about the vehicle 104. In this example, the movement of the passenger could be detected by the motion sensors 624A-B. Optionally, the user 216 could be alerted of this movement by one or more of the devices 212, 248 in the vehicle 104. In another example, a passenger may attempt to reach for one of the vehicle control features (e.g., the steering wheel 640, the console, icons displayed on the head unit and/or device 212, 248, etc.). In this case, the movement (i.e., reaching) of the passenger may be detected by the motion sensors 624A-B. Optionally, the path, trajectory, anticipated path, and/or some other direction of movement/motion may be determined using the motion sensors 624A-B. In response to detecting the movement and/or the direction associated with the movement, the passenger may be prevented from interfacing with and/or accessing at least some of the vehicle control features (e.g., the features represented by icons may be hidden from a user interface, the features may be locked from use by the passenger, combinations thereof, etc.). As can be appreciated, the user 216 may be alerted of the movement/motion such that the user 216 can act to prevent the passenger from interfering with the vehicle 104 controls. Optionally, the number of motion sensors in a vehicle 104, or areas of a vehicle 104, may be increased to increase an accuracy associated with motion detected in the vehicle 104.

The interior sound receivers 692A-B may include, but are not limited to, microphones and other types of acoustic-to-electric transducers or sensors. Optionally, the interior sound receivers 692A-B may be configured to receive and convert sound waves into an equivalent analog or digital signal. The interior sound receivers 692A-B may serve to determine one or more locations associated with various sounds in the vehicle 104. The location of the sounds may be determined based on a comparison of volume levels, intensity, and the like, between sounds detected by two or more interior sound receivers 692A-B. For instance, a first interior sound receiver 692A may be located in a first area of the vehicle 104 and a second interior sound receiver 692B may be located in a second area of the vehicle 104. If a sound is detected at a first volume level by the first interior sound receiver 692A and a second, higher, volume level by the second interior sound receiver 692B in the second area of the vehicle 104, the sound may be determined to be closer to the second area of the vehicle 104. As can be appreciated, the number of sound receivers used in a vehicle 104 may be increased (e.g., more than two, etc.) to increase measurement accuracy surrounding sound detection and location, or source, of the sound (e.g., via triangulation, etc.).

Seat sensors 677 may be included in the vehicle 104. The seat sensors 677 may be associated with each seat and/or zone 512 in the vehicle 104. Optionally, the seat sensors 677 may provide health telemetry and/or identification via one or more of load cells, force transducers, weight sensors, moisture detection sensor, electrical conductivity/resistance sensor, and the like. For example, the seat sensors 677 may determine that a user 216 weighs 180 lbs. This value may be compared to user data stored in memory to determine whether a match exists between the detected weight and a user 216 associated with the vehicle 104. In another example, if the seat sensors 677 detect that a user 216 is fidgeting, or moving, in a seemingly uncontrollable manner, the system may determine that the user 216 has suffered a nervous and/or muscular system issue (e.g., seizure, etc.). The vehicle control system 204 may then cause the vehicle 104 to slow down and in addition or alternatively the automobile controller 8104 (described below) can safely take control of the vehicle 104 and bring the vehicle 104 to a stop in a safe location (e.g., out of traffic, off a freeway, etc).

Health telemetry and other data may be collected via the steering wheel user sensors 642. Optionally, the steering wheel user sensors 642 may collect heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, and the like, associated with a user 216 via at least one contact disposed on or about the steering wheel 640.

The safety restraint sensors 679 may be employed to determine a state associated with one or more safety restraint devices in a vehicle 104. The state associated with one or more safety restraint devices may serve to indicate a force observed at the safety restraint device, a state of activity (e.g., retracted, extended, various ranges of extension and/or retraction, deployment, buckled, unbuckled, etc.), damage to the safety restraint device, and more.

Environmental sensors 694, including one or more of temperature, humidity, air, oxygen, carbon monoxide, smoke, and other environmental condition sensors may be used in a vehicle 104. These environmental sensors 694 may be used to collect data relating to the safety, comfort, and/or condition of the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. Among other things, the data collected by the environmental sensors 694 may be used by the vehicle control system 204 to alter functions of a vehicle. The environment may correspond to an interior space 108 of a vehicle 104 and/or specific areas 508 and/or zones 512 of the vehicle 104. It should be appreciate that an environment may correspond to a user 216. For example, a low oxygen environment may be detected by the environmental sensors 694 and associated with a user 216 who is operating the vehicle 104 in a particular zone 512. In response to detecting the low oxygen environment, at least one of the subsystems of the vehicle 104, as provided herein, may alter the environment, especially in the particular zone 512, to increase the amount of oxygen in the zone 512. Additionally or alternatively, the environmental sensors 694 may be used to report conditions associated with a vehicle (e.g., fire detected, low oxygen, low humidity, high carbon monoxide, etc.). The conditions may be reported to a user 216 and/or a third party via at least one communications module as provided herein.

Among other things, the sensors as disclosed herein may communicate with each other, with devices 212, 248, and/or with the vehicle control system 204 via the signal carrier network 224. Additionally or alternatively, the sensors disclosed herein may serve to provide data relevant to more than one category of sensor information including, but not limited to, combinations of environmental information, user information, and safety information to name a few.

FIGS. 7A-7B show block diagrams of various sensors that may be associated with a vehicle 104. Although depicted as interior and exterior sensors, it should be appreciated that any of the one or more of the sensors shown may be used in both the interior space 108 and the exterior space of the vehicle 104. Moreover, sensors having the same symbol or name may include the same, or substantially the same, functionality as those sensors described elsewhere in the present disclosure. Further, although the various sensors are depicted in conjunction with specific groups (e.g., environmental 708, 708E, user interface 712, safety 716, 716E, etc.) the sensors should not be limited to the groups in which they appear. In other words, the sensors may be associated with other groups or combinations of groups and/or disassociated from one or more of the groups shown. The sensors as disclosed herein may communicate with each other, the devices 212, 248, and/or the vehicle control system 204 via one or more communications channel(s) 356.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram of an embodiment of interior sensors 340 for a vehicle 104 is provided. The interior sensors 340 may be arranged into one or more groups, based at least partially on the function of the interior sensors 340. The interior space 108 of a vehicle 104 may include an environmental group 708, a user interface group 712, and a safety group 716. Additionally or alternatively, there may be sensors associated with various devices inside the vehicle (e.g., devices 212, 248, smart phones, tablets, mobile computers, etc.)

The environmental group 708 may comprise sensors configured to collect data relating to the internal environment of a vehicle 104. It is anticipated that the environment of the vehicle 104 may be subdivided into areas 508 and zones 512 in an interior space 108 of a vehicle 104. In this case, each area 508 and/or zone 512 may include one or more of the environmental sensors. Examples of environmental sensors associated with the environmental group 708 may include, but are not limited to, oxygen/air sensors 724, temperature sensors 728, humidity sensors 732, light/photo sensors 736, and more. The oxygen/air sensors 724 may be configured to detect a quality of the air in the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104 (e.g., ratios and/or types of gasses comprising the air inside the vehicle 104, dangerous gas levels, safe gas levels, etc.). Temperature sensors 728 may be configured to detect temperature readings of one or more objects, users 216, and/or areas 508 of a vehicle 104. Humidity sensors 732 may detect an amount of water vapor present in the air inside the vehicle 104. The light/photo sensors 736 can detect an amount of light present in the vehicle 104. Further, the light/photo sensors 736 may be configured to detect various levels of light intensity associated with light in the vehicle 104.

The user interface group 712 may comprise sensors configured to collect data relating to one or more users 216 in a vehicle 104. As can be appreciated, the user interface group 712 may include sensors that are configured to collect data from users 216 in one or more areas 508 and zones 512 of the vehicle 104. For example, each area 508 and/or zone 512 of the vehicle 104 may include one or more of the sensors in the user interface group 712. Examples of user interface sensors associated with the user interface group 712 may include, but are not limited to, infrared sensors 740, motion sensors 744, weight sensors 748, wireless network sensors 752, biometric sensors 756, camera (or image) sensors 760, audio sensors 764, and more.

Infrared sensors 740 may be used to measure IR light irradiating from at least one surface, user 216, or other object in the vehicle 104. Among other things, the Infrared sensors 740 may be used to measure temperatures, form images (especially in low light conditions), identify users 216, and even detect motion in the vehicle 104.

The motion sensors 744 may be similar to the motion detectors 624A-B, as described in conjunction with FIG. 6B. Weight sensors 748 may be employed to collect data relating to objects and/or users 216 in various areas 508 of the vehicle 104. In some cases, the weight sensors 748 may be included in the seats and/or floor of a vehicle 104.

Optionally, the vehicle 104 may include a wireless network sensor 752. This sensor 752 may be configured to detect one or more wireless network(s) inside the vehicle 104. Examples of wireless networks may include, but are not limited to, wireless communications utilizing Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee, IEEE 802.11, and other wireless technology standards. For example, a mobile hotspot may be detected inside the vehicle 104 via the wireless network sensor 752. In this case, the vehicle 104 may determine to utilize and/or share the mobile hotspot detected via/with one or more other devices 212, 248 and/or components associated with the vehicle 104.

Biometric sensors 756 may be employed to identify and/or record characteristics associated with a user 216. It is anticipated that biometric sensors 756 can include at least one of image sensors, IR sensors, fingerprint readers, weight sensors, load cells, force transducers, heart rate monitors, blood pressure monitors, and the like as provided herein.

The camera sensors 760 may be similar to image sensors 622A-B, as described in conjunction with FIG. 6B. Optionally, the camera sensors may record still images, video, and/or combinations thereof. The audio sensors 764 may be similar to the interior sound receivers 692A-B, as described in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-6B. The audio sensors may be configured to receive audio input from a user 216 of the vehicle 104. The audio input from a user 216 may correspond to voice commands, conversations detected in the vehicle 104, phone calls made in the vehicle 104, and/or other audible expressions made in the vehicle 104.

The safety group 716 may comprise sensors configured to collect data relating to the safety of a user 216 and/or one or more components of a vehicle 104. The vehicle 104 may be subdivided into areas 508 and/or zones 512 in an interior space 108 of a vehicle 104 where each area 508 and/or zone 512 may include one or more of the safety sensors provided herein. Examples of safety sensors associated with the safety group 716 may include, but are not limited to, force sensors 768, mechanical motion sensors 772, orientation sensors 776, restraint sensors 780, and more.

The force sensors 768 may include one or more sensors inside the vehicle 104 configured to detect a force observed in the vehicle 104. One example of a force sensor 768 may include a force transducer that converts measured forces (e.g., force, weight, pressure, etc.) into output signals.

Mechanical motion sensors 772 may correspond to encoders, accelerometers, damped masses, and the like. Optionally, the mechanical motion sensors 772 may be adapted to measure the force of gravity (i.e., G-force) as observed inside the vehicle 104. Measuring the G-force observed inside a vehicle 104 can provide valuable information related to a vehicle's acceleration, deceleration, collisions, and/or forces that may have been suffered by one or more users 216 in the vehicle 104. As can be appreciated, the mechanical motion sensors 772 can be located in an interior space 108 or an exterior of the vehicle 104.

Orientation sensors 776 can include accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetic sensors, and the like that are configured to detect an orientation associated with the vehicle 104. Similar to the mechanical motion sensors 772, the orientation sensors 776 can be located in an interior space 108 or an exterior of the vehicle 104.

The restraint sensors 780 may be similar to the safety restraint sensors 679 as described in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-6B. These sensors 780 may correspond to sensors associated with one or more restraint devices and/or systems in a vehicle 104. Seatbelts and airbags are examples of restraint devices and/or systems. As can be appreciated, the restraint devices and/or systems may be associated with one or more sensors that are configured to detect a state of the device/system. The state may include extension, engagement, retraction, disengagement, deployment, and/or other electrical or mechanical conditions associated with the device/system.

The associated device sensors 720 can include any sensors that are associated with a device 212, 248 in the vehicle 104. As previously stated, typical devices 212, 248 may include smart phones, tablets, laptops, mobile computers, and the like. It is anticipated that the various sensors associated with these devices 212, 248 can be employed by the vehicle control system 204. For example, a typical smart phone can include, an image sensor, an IR sensor, audio sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, wireless network sensor, fingerprint reader, and more. It is an aspect of the present disclosure that one or more of these associated device sensors 720 may be used by one or more subsystems of the vehicle system 200.

In FIG. 7B, a block diagram of an embodiment of exterior sensors 340 for a vehicle 104 is shown. The exterior sensors may include sensors that are identical, or substantially similar, to those previously disclosed in conjunction with the interior sensors of FIG. 7A. Optionally, the exterior sensors 340 may be configured to collect data relating to one or more conditions, objects, users 216, and other events that are external to the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. For instance, the oxygen/air sensors 724 may measure a quality and/or composition of the air outside of a vehicle 104. As another example, the motion sensors 744 may detect motion outside of a vehicle 104.

The external environmental group 708E may comprise sensors configured to collect data relating to the external environment of a vehicle 104. In addition to including one or more of the sensors previously described, the external environmental group 708E may include additional sensors, such as, vehicle sensors 750, biological sensors, and wireless signal sensors 758. Vehicle sensors 750 can detect vehicles that are in an environment surrounding the vehicle 104. For example, the vehicle sensors 750 may detect vehicles in a first outside area 516, a second outside area 520, and/or combinations of the first and second outside areas 516, 520. Optionally, the vehicle sensors 750 may include one or more of RF sensors, IR sensors, image sensors, and the like to detect vehicles, people, hazards, etc. that are in an environment exterior to the vehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle sensors 750 can provide distance/directional information relating to a distance (e.g., distance from the vehicle 104 to the detected object) and/or a direction (e.g., direction of travel, etc.) associated with the detected object.

The biological sensors 754 may determine whether one or more biological entities (e.g., an animal, a person, a user 216, etc.) is in an external environment of the vehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, the biological sensors 754 may provide distance information relating to a distance of the biological entity from the vehicle 104. Biological sensors 754 may include at least one of RF sensors, IR sensors, image sensors and the like that are configured to detect biological entities. For example, an IR sensor may be used to determine that an object, or biological entity, has a specific temperature, temperature pattern, or heat signature. Continuing this example, a comparison of the determined heat signature may be compared to known heat signatures associated with recognized biological entities (e.g., based on shape, locations of temperature, and combinations thereof, etc.) to determine whether the heat signature is associated with a biological entity or an inanimate, or non-biological, object.

The wireless signal sensors 758 may include one or more sensors configured to receive wireless signals from signal sources such as Wi-Fi™ hotspots, cell towers, roadside beacons, other electronic roadside devices, and satellite positioning systems. Optionally, the wireless signal sensors 758 may detect wireless signals from one or more of a mobile phone, mobile computer, keyless entry device, RFID device, near field communications (NFC) device, and the like.

The external safety group 716E may comprise sensors configured to collect data relating to the safety of a user 216 and/or one or more components of a vehicle 104. Examples of safety sensors associated with the external safety group 716E may include, but are not limited to, force sensors 768, mechanical motion sensors 772, orientation sensors 776, vehicle body sensors 782, and more. Optionally, the exterior safety sensors 716E may be configured to collect data relating to one or more conditions, objects, vehicle components, and other events that are external to the vehicle 104. For instance, the force sensors 768 in the external safety group 716E may detect and/or record force information associated with the outside of a vehicle 104. For instance, if an object strikes the exterior of the vehicle 104, the force sensors 768 from the exterior safety group 716E may determine a magnitude, location, and/or time associated with the strike.

The vehicle 104 may include a number of vehicle body sensors 782. The vehicle body sensors 782 may be configured to measure characteristics associated with the body (e.g., body panels, components, chassis, windows, etc.) of a vehicle 104. For example, two vehicle body sensors 782, including a first body sensor and a second body sensor, may be located at some distance apart. Continuing this example, the first body sensor may be configured to send an electrical signal across the body of the vehicle 104 to the second body sensor, or vice versa. Upon receiving the electrical signal from the first body sensor, the second body sensor may record a detected current, voltage, resistance, and/or combinations thereof associated with the received electrical signal. Values (e.g., current, voltage, resistance, etc.) for the sent and received electrical signal may be stored in a memory. These values can be compared to determine whether subsequent electrical signals sent and received between vehicle body sensors 782 deviate from the stored values. When the subsequent signal values deviate from the stored values, the difference may serve to indicate damage and/or loss of a body component. Additionally or alternatively, the deviation may indicate a problem with the vehicle body sensors 782. The vehicle body sensors 782 may communicate with each other, a vehicle control system 204, and/or systems of the vehicle system 200 via a communications channel 356. Although described using electrical signals, it should be appreciated that alternative embodiments of the vehicle body sensors 782 may use sound waves and/or light to perform a similar function.

FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an embodiment of a media controller subsystem 348 for a vehicle 104. The media controller subsystem 348 may include, but is not limited to, a media controller 804, a media processor 808, a match engine 812, an audio processor 816, a speech synthesis module 820, a network transceiver 824, a signal processing module 828, memory 832, and a language database 836. Optionally, the media controller subsystem 348 may be configured as a dedicated blade that implements the media-related functionality of the system 200. Additionally or alternatively, the media controller subsystem 348 can provide voice input, voice output, library functions for multimedia, and display control for various areas 508 and/or zones 512 of the vehicle 104.

Optionally, the media controller subsystem 348 may include a local IP address (e.g., IPv4, IPv6, combinations thereof, etc.) and even a routable, global unicast address. The routable, global unicast address may allow for direct addressing of the media controller subsystem 348 for streaming data from Internet resources (e.g., cloud storage, user accounts, etc.). It is anticipated, that the media controller subsystem 348 can provide multimedia via at least one Internet connection, or wireless network communications module, associated with the vehicle 104. Moreover, the media controller subsystem 348 may be configured to service multiple independent clients simultaneously.

The media processor 808 may comprise a general purpose programmable processor or controller for executing application programming or instructions related to the media subsystem 348. The media processor 808 may include multiple processor cores, and/or implement multiple virtual processors. Optionally, the media processor 808 may include multiple physical processors. By way of example, the media processor 808 may comprise a specially configured application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a controller, a hardwired electronic or logic circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array, a special purpose computer, or the like. The media processor 808 generally functions to run programming code or instructions implementing various functions of the media controller 804.

The match engine 812 can receive input from one or more components of the vehicle system 800 and perform matching functions. Optionally, the match engine 812 may receive audio input provided via a microphone 886 of the system 800. The audio input may be provided to the media controller subsystem 348 where the audio input can be decoded and matched, via the match engine 812, to one or more functions available to the vehicle 104. Similar matching operations may be performed by the match engine 812 relating to video input received via one or more image sensors, cameras 878, and the like.

The media controller subsystem 348 may include a speech synthesis module 820 configured to provide audio output to one or more speakers 880, or audio output devices, associated with the vehicle 104. Optionally, the speech synthesis module 820 may be configured to provide audio output based at least partially on the matching functions performed by the match engine 812.

As can be appreciated, the coding/decoding, the analysis of audio input/output, and/or other operations associated with the match engine 812 and speech synthesis module 820, may be performed by the media processor 808 and/or a dedicated audio processor 816. The audio processor 816 may comprise a general purpose programmable processor or controller for executing application programming or instructions related to audio processing. Further, the audio processor 816 may be similar to the media processor 808 described herein.

The network transceiver 824 can include any device configured to transmit and receive analog and/or digital signals. Optionally, the media controller subsystem 348 may utilize a network transceiver 824 in one or more communication networks associated with the vehicle 104 to receive and transmit signals via the communications channel 356. Additionally or alternatively, the network transceiver 824 may accept requests from one or more devices 212, 248 to access the media controller subsystem 348. One example of the communication network is a local-area network (LAN). As can be appreciated, the functionality associated with the network transceiver 824 may be built into at least one other component of the vehicle 104 (e.g., a network interface card, communications module, etc.).

The signal processing module 828 may be configured to alter audio/multimedia signals received from one or more input sources (e.g., microphones 886, etc.) via the communications channel 356. Among other things, the signal processing module 828 may alter the signals received electrically, mathematically, combinations thereof, and the like.

The media controller 804 may also include memory 832 for use in connection with the execution of application programming or instructions by the media processor 808, and for the temporary or long term storage of program instructions and/or data. As examples, the memory 832 may comprise RAM, DRAM, SDRAM, or other solid state memory.

The language database 836 may include the data and/or libraries for one or more languages, as are used to provide the language functionality as provided herein. In one case, the language database 836 may be loaded on the media controller 804 at the point of manufacture. Optionally, the language database 836 can be modified, updated, and/or otherwise changed to alter the data stored therein. For instance, additional languages may be supported by adding the language data to the language database 836. In some cases, this addition of languages can be performed via accessing administrative functions on the media controller 804 and loading the new language modules via wired (e.g., USB, etc.) or wireless communication. In some cases, the administrative functions may be available via a vehicle console device 248, a user device 212, 248, and/or other mobile computing device that is authorized to access administrative functions (e.g., based at least partially on the device's address, identification, etc.).

One or more video controllers 840 may be provided for controlling the video operation of the devices 212, 248, 882 associated with the vehicle. Optionally, the video controller 840 may include a display controller for controlling the operation of touch sensitive screens, including input (touch sensing) and output (display) functions. Video data may include data received in a stream and unpacked by a processor and loaded into a display buffer. In this example, the processor and video controller 840 can optimize the display based on the characteristics of a screen of a display device 212, 248, 882. The functions of a touch screen controller may be incorporated into other components, such as a media processor 808 or display subsystem.

The audio controller 844 can provide control of the audio entertainment system (e.g., radio, subscription music service, multimedia entertainment, etc.), and other audio associated with the vehicle 104 (e.g., navigation systems, vehicle comfort systems, convenience systems, etc.). Optionally, the audio controller 844 may be configured to translate digital signals to analog signals and vice versa. As can be appreciated, the audio controller 844 may include device drivers that allow the audio controller 844 to communicate with other components of the system 800 (e.g., processors 816, 808, audio I/O 874, and the like).

The system 800 may include a profile identification module 848 to determine whether a user profile is associated with the vehicle 104. Among other things, the profile identification module 848 may receive requests from a user 216, or device 212, 228, 248, to access a profile stored in a profile database 856 or profile data 252. Additionally or alternatively, the profile identification module 848 may request profile information from a user 216 and/or a device 212, 228, 248, to access a profile stored in a profile database 856 or profile data 252. In any event, the profile identification module 848 may be configured to create, modify, retrieve, and/or store user profiles in the profile database 856 and/or profile data 252. The profile identification module 848 may include rules for profile identification, profile information retrieval, creation, modification, and/or control of components in the system 800.

By way of example, a user 216 may enter the vehicle 104 with a smart phone or other device 212. In response to determining that a user 216 is inside the vehicle 104, the profile identification module 848 may determine that a user profile is associated with the user's smart phone 212. As another example, the system 800 may receive information about a user 216 (e.g., from a camera 878, microphone 886, etc.), and, in response to receiving the user information, the profile identification module 848 may refer to the profile database 856 to determine whether the user information matches a user profile stored in the database 856. It is anticipated that the profile identification module 848 may communicate with the other components of the system to load one or more preferences, settings, and/or conditions based on the user profile. Further, the profile identification module 848 may be configured to control components of the system 800 based on user profile information.

Optionally, data storage 852 may be provided. Like the memory 832, the data storage 852 may comprise a solid state memory device or devices. Alternatively or in addition, the data storage 852 may comprise a hard disk drive or other random access memory. Similar to the data storage 852, the profile database 856 may comprise a solid state memory device or devices.

An input/output module 860 and associated ports may be included to support communications over wired networks or links, for example with other communication devices, server devices, and/or peripheral devices. Examples of an input/output module 860 include an Ethernet port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, CAN Bus, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1594, or other interface. Users may bring their own devices (e.g., Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), device 212, etc.) into the vehicle 104 for use with the various systems disclosed. Although most BYOD devices can connect to the vehicle systems (e.g., the media controller subsystem 348, etc.) via wireless communications protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi™, Bluetooth®, etc.) many devices may require a direct connection via USB, or similar. In any event, the input/output module 860 can provide the necessary connection of one or more devices to the vehicle systems described herein.

A video input/output interface 864 can be included to receive and transmit video signals between the various components in the system 800. Optionally, the video input/output interface 864 can operate with compressed and uncompressed video signals. The video input/output interface 864 can support high data rates associated with image capture devices. Additionally or alternatively, the video input/output interface 864 may convert analog video signals to digital signals.

The infotainment system 870 may include information media content and/or entertainment content, informational devices, entertainment devices, and the associated programming therefor. Optionally, the infotainment system 870 may be configured to handle the control of one or more components of the system 800 including, but in no way limited to, radio, streaming audio/video devices, audio devices 880, 882, 886, video devices 878, 882, travel devices (e.g., GPS, navigational systems, etc.), wireless communication devices, network devices, and the like. Further, the infotainment system 870 can provide the functionality associated with other infotainment features as provided herein.

An audio input/output interface 874 can be included to provide analog audio to an interconnected speaker 880 or other device, and to receive analog audio input from a connected microphone 886 or other device. As an example, the audio input/output interface 874 may comprise an associated amplifier and analog to digital converter. Alternatively or in addition, the devices 212, 248 can include integrated audio input/output devices 880, 886 and/or an audio jack for interconnecting an external speaker 880 or microphone 886. For example, an integrated speaker 880 and an integrated microphone 886 can be provided, to support near talk, voice commands, spoken information exchange, and/or speaker phone operations.

Among other things, the system 800 may include devices that are part of the vehicle 104 and/or part of a device 212, 248 that is associated with the vehicle 104. For instance, these devices may be configured to capture images, display images, capture sound, and present sound. Optionally, the system 800 may include at least one of image sensors/cameras 878, display devices 882, audio input devices/microphones 886, and audio output devices/speakers 880. The cameras 878 can be included for capturing still and/or video images. Alternatively or in addition, image sensors 878 can include a scanner or code reader. An image sensor/camera 878 can include or be associated with additional elements, such as a flash or other light source. In some cases, the display device 882 may include an audio input device and/or an audio output device in addition to providing video functions. For instance, the display device 882 may be a console, monitor, a tablet computing device, and/or some other mobile computing device.

FIG. 8B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a user/device interaction subsystem 817 in a vehicle system 800. The user/device interaction subsystem 817 may comprise hardware and/or software that conduct various operations for or with the vehicle 104. For instance, the user/device interaction subsystem 817 may include at least one user interaction subsystem 332 and device interaction subsystem 352 as previously described. These operations may include, but are not limited to, providing information to the user 216, receiving input from the user 216, and controlling the functions or operation of the vehicle 104, etc. Among other things, the user/device interaction subsystem 817 may include a computing system operable to conduct the operations as described herein.

Optionally, the user/device interaction subsystem 817 can include one or more of the components and modules provided herein. For instance, the user/device interaction subsystem 817 can include one or more of a video input/output interface 864, an audio input/output interface 874, a sensor module 814, a device interaction module 818, a user identification module 822, a vehicle control module 826, an environmental control module 830, and a gesture control module 834. The user/device interaction subsystem 817 may be in communication with other devices, modules, and components of the system 800 via the communications channel 356.

The user/device interaction subsystem 817 may be configured to receive input from a user 216 and/or device via one or more components of the system. By way of example, a user 216 may provide input to the user/device interaction subsystem 817 via wearable devices 802, 806, 810, video input (e.g., via at least one image sensor/camera 878, etc.) audio input (e.g., via the microphone, audio input source, etc.), gestures (e.g., via at least one image sensor 878, motion sensor 888, etc.), device input (e.g., via a device 212, 248 associated with the user, etc.), combinations thereof, and the like.

The wearable devices 802, 806, 810 can include heart rate monitors, blood pressure monitors, glucose monitors, pedometers, movement sensors, wearable computers, and the like. Examples of wearable computers may be worn by a user 216 and configured to measure user activity, determine energy spent based on the measured activity, track user sleep habits, determine user oxygen levels, monitor heart rate, provide alarm functions, and more. It is anticipated that the wearable devices 802, 806, 810 can communicate with the user/device interaction subsystem 817 via wireless communications channels or direct connection (e.g., where the device docks, or connects, with a USB port or similar interface of the vehicle 104).

A sensor module 814 may be configured to receive and/or interpret input provided by one or more sensors in the vehicle 104. In some cases, the sensors may be associated with one or more user devices (e.g., wearable devices 802, 806, 810, smart phones 212, mobile computing devices 212, 248, and the like). Optionally, the sensors may be associated with the vehicle 104, as described in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-7B.

The device interaction module 818 may communicate with the various devices as provided herein. Optionally, the device interaction module 818 can provide content, information, data, and/or media associated with the various subsystems of the vehicle system 800 to one or more devices 212, 248, 802, 806, 810, 882, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the device interaction module 818 may receive content, information, data, and/or media associated with the various devices provided herein.

The user identification module 822 may be configured to identify a user 216 associated with the vehicle 104. The identification may be based on user profile information that is stored in profile data 252. For instance, the user identification module 822 may receive characteristic information about a user 216 via a device, a camera, and/or some other input. The received characteristics may be compared to data stored in the profile data 252. Where the characteristics match, the user 216 is identified. As can be appreciated, where the characteristics do not match a user profile, the user identification module 822 may communicate with other subsystems in the vehicle 104 to obtain and/or record profile information about the user 216. This information may be stored in a memory and/or the profile data storage 252.

The vehicle control module 826 may be configured to control settings, features, and/or the functionality of a vehicle 104. In some cases, the vehicle control module 826 can communicate with the vehicle control system 204 to control critical functions (e.g., driving system controls, braking, accelerating, etc.) and/or noncritical functions (e.g., driving signals, indicator/hazard lights, mirror controls, window actuation, etc.) based at least partially on user/device input received by the user/device interaction subsystem 817.

The environmental control module 830 may be configured to control settings, features, and/or other conditions associated with the environment, especially the interior environment, of a vehicle 104. Optionally, the environmental control module 830 may communicate with the climate control system (e.g. changing cabin temperatures, fan speeds, air direction, etc.), oxygen and/or air quality control system (e.g., increase/decrease oxygen in the environment, etc.), interior lighting (e.g., changing intensity of lighting, color of lighting, etc.), an occupant seating system 648 (e.g., adjusting seat position, firmness, height, etc.), steering wheel 640 (e.g., position adjustment, etc.), infotainment/entertainment system (e.g., adjust volume levels, display intensity adjustment, change content, etc.), and/or other systems associated with the vehicle environment. Additionally or alternatively, these systems can provide input, set-points, and/or responses, to the environmental control module 830. As can be appreciated, the environmental control module 830 may control the environment based at least partially on user/device input received by the user/device interaction subsystem 817.

The gesture control module 834 is configured to interpret gestures provided by a user 216 in the vehicle 104. Optionally, the gesture control module 834 may provide control signals to one or more of the vehicle systems 300 disclosed herein. For example, a user 216 may provide gestures to control the environment, critical and/or noncritical vehicle functions, the infotainment system, communications, networking, and more. Optionally, gestures may be provided by a user 216 and detected via one or more of the sensors as described in conjunction with FIGS. 6B-7A. As another example, one or more motion sensors 888 may receive gesture input from a user 216 and provide the gesture input to the gesture control module 834. Continuing this example, the gesture input is interpreted by the gesture control module 834. This interpretation may include comparing the gesture input to gestures stored in a memory. The gestures stored in memory may include one or more functions and/or controls mapped to specific gestures. When a match is determined between the detected gesture input and the stored gesture information, the gesture control module 834 can provide a control signal to any of the systems/subsystems as disclosed herein.

FIG. 8C illustrates a GPS/Navigation subsystem(s) 336. The Navigation subsystem(s) 336 can be any present or future-built navigation system that may use location data, for example, from the Global Positioning System (GPS), to provide navigation information or control the vehicle 104. The Navigation subsystem(s) 336 can include several components or modules, such as, one or more of, but not limited to, a GPS Antenna/receiver 892, a location module 896, a maps database 8100, an automobile controller 8104, a vehicle systems transceiver 8108, a traffic controller 8112, a network traffic transceiver 8116, a vehicle-to-vehicle transceiver 8120, a traffic information database 8124, etc. Generally, the several components or modules 892-8124 may be hardware, software, firmware, computer readable media, or combinations thereof.

A GPS Antenna/receiver 892 can be any antenna, GPS puck, and/or receiver capable of receiving signals from a GPS satellite or other navigation system, as mentioned hereinbefore. The signals may be demodulated, converted, interpreted, etc. by the GPS Antenna/receiver 892 and provided to the location module 896. Thus, the GPS Antenna/receiver 892 may convert the time signals from the GPS system and provide a location (e.g., coordinates on a map) to the location module 896. Alternatively, the location module 896 can interpret the time signals into coordinates or other location information.

The location module 896 can be the controller of the satellite navigation system designed for use in automobiles. The location module 896 can acquire position data, as from the GPS Antenna/receiver 892, to locate the user or vehicle 104 on a road in the unit's map database 8100. Using the road database 8100, the location module 896 can give directions to other locations along roads also in the database 8100. When a GPS signal is not available, the location module 896 may apply dead reckoning to estimate distance data from sensors 242 including one or more of, but not limited to, a speed sensor attached to the drive train of the vehicle 104, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, etc. GPS signal loss and/or multipath can occur due to urban canyons, tunnels, and other obstructions. Additionally or alternatively, the location module 896 may use known locations of Wi-Fi hotspots, cell tower data, etc. to determine the position of the vehicle 104, such as by using time difference of arrival (TDOA) and/or frequency difference of arrival (FDOA) techniques.

The maps database 8100 can include any hardware and/or software to store information about maps, geographical information system information, location information, etc. The maps database 8100 can include any data definition or other structure to store the information. Generally, the maps database 8100 can include a road database that may include one or more vector maps of areas of interest. Street names, street numbers, house numbers, and other information can be encoded as geographic coordinates so that the user can find some desired destination by street address. Points of interest (waypoints) can also be stored with their geographic coordinates. For example, a point of interest may include speed cameras, fuel stations, public parking, and “parked here” (or “you parked here”) information. The map database contents can be produced or updated by a server connected through a wireless system in communication with the Internet, even as the vehicle 104 is driven along existing streets, yielding an up-to-date map.

An automobile controller 8104 can be any hardware and/or software that can receive instructions from the location module 896 or the traffic controller 8112 and operate the vehicle 104. The automobile controller 8104 receives this information and data from the sensors 242 to operate the vehicle 104 without driver input. Thus, the automobile controller 8104 can drive the vehicle 104 along a route provided by the location module 896. The route may be adjusted by information sent from the traffic controller 8112. Discrete and real-time driving can occur with data from the sensors 242. To operate the vehicle 104, the automobile controller 8104 can communicate with a vehicle systems transceiver 8108.

The vehicle systems transceiver 8108 can be any present or future-developed device that can comprise a transmitter and/or a receiver, which may be combined and can share common circuitry or a single housing. The vehicle systems transceiver 8108 may communicate or instruct one or more of the vehicle control subsystems 328. For example, the vehicle systems transceiver 8108 may send steering commands, as received from the automobile controller 8104, to an electronic steering system, to adjust the steering of the vehicle 100 in real time. The automobile controller 8104 can determine the effect of the commands based on received sensor data 242 and can adjust the commands as need be. The vehicle systems transceiver 8108 can also communicate with the braking system, the engine and drive train to speed or slow the car, the signals (e.g., turn signals and brake lights), the headlights, the windshield wipers, etc. Any of these communications may occur over the components or function as described in conjunction with FIG. 4.

A traffic controller 8112 can be any hardware and/or software that can communicate with an automated traffic system and adjust the function of the vehicle 104 based on instructions from the automated traffic system. An automated traffic system is a system that manages the traffic in a given area. This automated traffic system can instruct cars to drive in certain lanes, instruct cars to raise or lower their speed, instruct a car to change their route of travel, instruct cars to communicate with other cars, etc. To perform these functions, the traffic controller 8112 may register the vehicle 104 with the automated traffic system and then provide other information including the route of travel. The automated traffic system can return registration information and any required instructions. The communications between the automated traffic system and the traffic controller 8112 may be received and sent through a network traffic transceiver 8116.

The network traffic transceiver 8116 can be any present or future-developed device that can comprise a transmitter and/or a receiver, which may be combined and can share common circuitry or a single housing. The network traffic transceiver 8116 may communicate with the automated traffic system using any known or future-developed, protocol, standard, frequency, bandwidth range, etc. The network traffic transceiver 8116 enables the sending of information between the traffic controller 8112 and the automated traffic system.

The traffic controller 8112 can also communicate with another vehicle, which may be in physical proximity (i.e., within range of a wireless signal), using the vehicle-to-vehicle transceiver 8120. As with the network traffic transceiver 8116, the vehicle-to-vehicle transceiver 8120 can be any present or future-developed device that can comprise a transmitter and/or a receiver, which may be combined and can share common circuitry or a single housing. Generally, the vehicle-to-vehicle transceiver 8120 enables communication between the vehicle 104 and any other vehicle. These communications allow the vehicle 104 to receive traffic or safety information, control or be controlled by another vehicle, establish an alternative communication path to communicate with the automated traffic system, establish a node including two or more vehicle that can function as a unit, etc. The vehicle-to-vehicle transceiver 8120 may communicate with the other vehicles using any known or future-developed, protocol standard, frequency, bandwidth range, etc.

The traffic controller 8112 can control functions of the automobile controller 8104 and communicate with the location module 896. The location module 896 can provide current location information and route information that the traffic controller 8112 may then provide to the automated traffic system. The traffic controller 8112 may receive route adjustments from the automated traffic system that are then sent to the location module 896 to change the route. Further, the traffic controller 8112 can also send driving instructions to the automobile controller 8104 to change the driving characteristics of the vehicle 104. For example, the traffic controller 8112 can instruct the automobile controller 8104 to accelerate or decelerate to a different speed, change lanes, or perform another driving maneuver. The traffic controller 8112 can also manage vehicle-to-vehicle communications and store information about the communications or other information in the traffic information database 8124.

The traffic information database 8124 can be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. The traffic information database 8124 may reside on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) the vehicle control system 204 or in the vehicle 104. The traffic information database 8124 may be adapted to store, update, and retrieve information about communications with other vehicles or any active instructions from the automated traffic system. This information may be used by the traffic controller 8112 to instruct or adjust the performance of driving maneuvers.

FIG. 9 illustrates an optional communications architecture where, the host device 908 may include one more routing profiles, permission modules, and rules that control how communications within the vehicle 104 are to occur. This communications architecture can be used in conjunction with the routing tables, rules and permissions associated with access point 456 and optional firewall 484, or can be in lieu thereof. For example, the host device 908 acts as a mobile hot spot to one or more other devices within vehicle 104, such as, other device 1 912, other device 2 916, other device 3 920, and other device N 924. Optionally, one or more of the other devices 912 can communicate directly with the host device 908 which then provides Internet access to those devices 912 via the device 908. The host device 908 can act as a mobile hot spot for any one or more of the other devices 912, which may not need to communicate over the network/communications buses 224/404, but could instead connect directly to the host device 908 via, for example, NFC, Bluetooth®, WiFi, or the like. When the device 908 is acting as the host device, the device 908 can include one or more routing profiles, permissions, rules modules, and can also act as a firewall for the various inter and intra vehicle communications.

As will be appreciated, there could be alternative host devices, such as, host 904 which could also act as, for example, a co-host in association with device 908. Optionally, one or more of the routing profile, permission information, and rules could be shared between the co-host devices 904, 908, both of those devices being usable for Internet access for one or more of the other devices, 912-924. As will be appreciated, the other devices 912-924 need not necessarily connect to one or more of host device 908 and the other device 904 via a direct communications link, but could also interface with those devices 904, 908 utilizing the network/communications buses 224/404 associated with the vehicle 100. As previously discussed, one or more of the other devices can connect to the network/communications buses 224/404 utilizing the various networks and/or buses discussed herein which would therefore enable, for example, regulation of the various communications based on the Ethernet zone that the other device 912 is associated with.

An embodiment of one or more modules that may be associated with the vehicle control system 204 may be as shown in FIG. 10. The modules can include a communication subsystem interface 1008 in communication with an operating system 1004. The communications may pass through a firewall 1044. The firewall 1044 can be any software that can control the incoming and outgoing communications by analyzing the data packets and determining whether the packets should be allowed through the firewall, based on applied rule set. A firewall 1044 can establish a “barrier” between a trusted, secure internal network and another network (e.g., the Internet) that is not assumed to be secure and trusted.

In some situations, the firewall 1044 may establish security zones that are implemented by running system services and/or applications in restricted user groups and accounts. A set of configuration files and callbacks may then be linked to an IP table firewall. The IP table firewall can be configured to notify a custom filter application at any of the layers of the Ethernet packet. The different users/group rights to access the system may include: system users, which may have exclusive right over all device firewall rules and running software; a big-brother user, which may have access to on board device (OBD) control data and may be able to communicate with the vehicle subsystem 328 and may be able to alter the parameters in the vehicle control system 204; a dealer user, which can have rights to read OBD data for diagnostics and repairs; a dashboard user, which can have rights to launch dashboard applications and/or authenticate guest users and change their permissions to trusted/friend/family, and can read but cannot write into OBD diagnostic data; a world wide web (WWW) data user, which can have HTTP rights to respond to HTTP requests (the HTTP requests also can target different user data, but may be filtered by default user accounts); a guest user, which may have no rights; a family/friend user, which may have rights to play media from the media subsystem 348 and/or to stream media to the media subsystem 348.

The operating system 1004 can be a collection of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for applications and other programs. The operating system 1004 may schedule time-sharing for efficient use of the system. For hardware functions, such as input, output, and memory allocation, the operating system 1004 can act as an intermediary between applications or programs and the computer hardware. Examples of operating systems that may be deployed as operating system 1004 include Android, BSD, iOS, Linux, OS X, QNX, Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone, IBM z/OS, etc.

The operating system 1004 can include one or more sub-modules. For example, a desktop manager 1012 can manage one or more graphical user interfaces (GUI) in a desktop environment. Desktop GUIs can help the user to easily access and edit files. A command-line interface (CLI) may be used if full control over the operating system (OS) 1004 is required. The desktop manager 1012 is described further hereinafter.

A kernel 1028 can be a computer program that manages input/output requests from software and translates them into data processing instructions for the processor 304 and other components of the vehicle control system 204. The kernel 1028 is the fundamental component of the operating system 1004 that can execute many of the functions associated with the OS 1004.

The kernel 1028 can include other software functions, including, but not limited to, driver(s) 1056, communication software 1052, and/or Internet Protocol software 1048. A driver 1056 can be any computer program that operates or controls a particular type of device that is attached to a vehicle control system 204. A driver 1056 can communicate with the device through the bus 356 or communications subsystem 1008 to which the hardware connects. When a calling program invokes a routine in the driver 1056, the driver 1056 may issue one or more commands to the device. Once the device sends data back to the driver 1056, the driver 1056 may invoke routines in the original calling program. Drivers can be hardware-dependent and operating-system-specific. Driver(s) 1056 can provide the interrupt handling required for any necessary asynchronous time-dependent hardware interface.

The IP module 1048 can conduct any IP addressing, which may include the assignment of IP addresses and associated parameters to host interfaces. The address space may include networks and sub-networks. The IP module 1048 can perform the designation of network or routing prefixes and may conduct IP routing, which transports packets across network boundaries. Thus, the IP module 1048 may perform all functions required for IP multicast operations.

The communications module 1052 may conduct all functions for communicating over other systems or using other protocols not serviced by the IP module 1048. Thus, the communications module 1052 can manage multicast operations over other busses or networks not serviced by the IP module 1048. Further, the communications module 1052 may perform or manage communications to one or more devices, systems, data stores, services, etc. that are in communication with the vehicle control system 204 or other subsystems through the firewall 1044. Thus, the communications module 1052 can conduct communications through the communication subsystem interface 1008.

A file system 1016 may be any data handling software that can control how data is stored and retrieved. The file system 1016 can separate the stored data into individual pieces, and giving each piece a name, can easily separate and identify the pieces of data. Each piece of data may be considered a “file”. The file system 1016 can construct data structure and logic rules used to manage the information and the identifiers for the information. The structure and logic rules can be considered a “file system.”

A device discovery daemon 1020 may be a computer program that runs as a background process that can discover new devices that connect with the network 356 or communication subsystem 1008 or devices that disconnect from the network 356 or communication subsystem 1008. The device discovery daemon 1020 can ping the network 356 (the local subnet) when the vehicle 104 starts, when a vehicle door opens or closes, or upon the occurrence of other events. Additionally or alternatively, the device discovery daemon 1020 may force Bluetooth®, USB, and/or wireless detection. For each device that responds to the ping, the device discovery daemon 1020 can populate the system data 208 with device information and capabilities, using any of one or more protocols, including one or more of, but not limited to, IPv6 Hop-by-Hop Option (HOPOPT), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP), Gateway-to-Gateway Protocol (GGP), Internet Protocol (IP), Internet Stream Protocol (ST), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), CHAOS, User Datagram Protocol (UDP), etc.

For example, the device discovery daemon 1020 can determine device capabilities based on the opened ports the device exposes. If a camera exposes port 80, then the device discovery daemon 1020 can determine that the camera is using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Alternatively, if a device is supporting Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), the system data 208 can include more information, for example, a camera control universal resource locator (URL), a camera zoom URL, etc. When a scan stops, the device discovery daemon 1020 can trigger a dashboard refresh to ensure the user interface reflects the new devices on the desktop.

A desktop manager 1012 may be a computer program that manages the user interface of the vehicle control system 204. The desktop environment may be designed to be customizable and allow the definition of the desktop configuration look-and-feel for a wide range of appliances or devices from computer desktops, mobile devices, computer tablets, etc. Launcher(s), panels, desktop areas, the desktop background, notifications, panes, etc., can be configured from a dashboard configuration file managed by the desktop manager 1012. The graphical elements in which the desktop manager 1012 controls can include launchers, the desktop, notification bars, etc.

The desktop may be an area of the display where the applications are running. The desktop can have a custom background. Further, the desktop may be divided into two or more areas. For example, the desktop may be divided into an upper half of a display and a lower half of the display. Each application can be configured to run in a portion of the desktop. Extended settings can be added to the desktop configuration file, such that, some objects may be displayed over the whole desktop or in custom size out of the context of the divided areas.

The notification bar may be a part of a bar display system, which may provide notifications by displaying, for example, icons and/or pop-up windows that may be associated with sound notifications. The notification mechanism can be designed for separate plug-ins, which run in separate processes and may subscribe to a system Intelligent Input Bus (IBUS)/D-BUS event service. The icons on the notifications bar can be accompanied with application short-cuts to associated applications, for example, a Bluetooth® manager, a USB manager, radio volume and or tone control, a security firewall, etc.

The desktop manager 1012 may include a windows manager 1032, an application launcher 1036, and/or a panel launcher 1040. Each of these components can control a different aspect of the user interface. The desktop manager 1012 can use a root window to create panels that can include functionality for one or more of, but not limited to: launching applications, managing applications, providing notifications, etc.

The windows manager 1032 may be software that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a graphical user interface presented to the user. Generally, the windows manager 1032 can provide the desktop environment used by the vehicle control system 204. The windows manager 1032 can communicate with the kernel 1028 to interface with the graphical system that provides the user interface(s) and supports the graphics hardware, pointing devices, keyboard, touch-sensitive screens, etc. The windows manager 1032 may be a tiling window manager (i.e., a window manager with an organization of the screen into mutually non-overlapping frames, as opposed to a coordinate-based stacking of overlapping objects (windows) that attempts to fully emulate the desktop metaphor). The windows manager 1032 may read and store configuration files, in the system data 208, which can control the position of the application windows at precise positions.

An application manager 1036 can control the function of any application over the lifetime of the process. The process or application can be launched from a panel launcher 1040 or from a remote console. The application manager 1036 can intercept the process name and may take appropriate action to manage that process. If the process is not running, the application manager 1036 can load the process and may bring the process to a foreground in a display. The application manager 1036 may also notify the windows manager 1032 to bring the associated window(s) to a top of a window stack for the display. When a process starts from a shell or a notification out of the context of the desktop, the application manager 1036 can scan files to match the process name with the entry name provided. When a match is found, the application manager 1036 can configure the process according to a settings file.

In some situations, the application manager 1036 may restrict an application as singleton (i.e., restricts the instantiation of a class to one object). If an application is already running and the application manager 1036 is asked to run the application again, the application manager 1036 can bring the running process to a foreground on a display. There can be a notification event exchange between the windows manager 1032 and the application manager 1036 for activating the appropriate window for the foreground process. Once an application is launched, the application may not be terminated or killed. The application can be sent to the background, except, possibly, for some applications (e.g., media player, Bluetooth®, notifications, etc.), which may be given a lowest process priority.

The panel launcher 1040 can be a widget configured to be placed along a portion of the display. The panel launcher 1040 may be built from desktop files from a desktop folder. The desktop folder location can be configured by a configuration file stored in system data 208. The panel launcher 1040 can allow for the launching or executing of applications or processes by receiving inputs from a user interface to launch programs.

A desktop plugin 1024 may be a software component that allows for customization of the desktop or software interface through the initiation of plug-in applications.

One or more gestures used to interface with the vehicle control system 204 may be as described in conjunction with FIG. 11A through 11K. FIGS. 11A through 11H depict various graphical representations of gesture inputs that may be recognized by the devices 212, 248. The gestures may be performed not only by a user's body part, such as a digit, but also by other devices, such as a stylus, that may be sensed by the contact sensing portion(s) of a screen associated with the device 212, 248. In general, gestures are interpreted differently, based on where the gestures are performed (either directly on a display or in a gesture capture region). For example, gestures in a display may be directed to a desktop or application, and gestures in a gesture capture region may be interpreted as for the system.

With reference to FIGS. 11A-11H, a first type of gesture, a touch gesture 1120, is substantially stationary on a portion (e.g., a screen, a display, etc.) of a device 212, 248 for a selected length of time. A circle 1128 represents a touch or other contact type received at particular location of a contact sensing portion of the screen. The circle 1128 may include a border 1132, the thickness of which indicates a length of time that the contact is held substantially stationary at the contact location. For instance, a tap 1120 (or short press) has a thinner border 1132A than the border 1132B for a long press 1124 (or for a normal press). The long press 1124 may involve a contact that remains substantially stationary on the screen for longer time period than that of a tap 1120. As will be appreciated, differently defined gestures may be registered depending upon the length of time that the touch remains stationary prior to contact cessation or movement on the screen.

With reference to FIG. 11C, a drag gesture 1100 on the screen is an initial contact (represented by circle 1128) with contact movement 1136 in a selected direction. The initial contact 1128 may remain stationary on the screen for a certain amount of time represented by the border 1132. The drag gesture typically requires the user to contact an icon, window, or other displayed image at a first location followed by movement of the contact in a drag direction to a new second location desired for the selected displayed image. The contact movement need not be in a straight line but have any path of movement so long as the contact is substantially continuous from the first to the second locations.

With reference to FIG. 11D, a flick gesture 1104 on the screen is an initial contact (represented by circle 1128) with truncated contact movement 1136 (relative to a drag gesture) in a selected direction. A flick may have a higher exit velocity for the last movement in the gesture compared to the drag gesture. The flick gesture can, for instance, be a finger snap following initial contact. Compared to a drag gesture, a flick gesture generally does not require continual contact with the screen from the first location of a displayed image to a predetermined second location. The contacted displayed image is moved by the flick gesture in the direction of the flick gesture to the predetermined second location. Although both gestures commonly can move a displayed image from a first location to a second location, the temporal duration and distance of travel of the contact on the screen is generally less for a flick than for a drag gesture.

With reference to FIG. 11E, a pinch gesture 1108 on the screen is depicted. The pinch gesture 1108 may be initiated by a first contact 1128A to the screen by, for example, a first digit and a second contact 1128B to the screen by, for example, a second digit. The first and second contacts 1128A,B may be detected by a common contact sensing portion of a common screen, by different contact sensing portions of a common screen, or by different contact sensing portions of different screens. The first contact 1128A is held for a first amount of time, as represented by the border 1132A, and the second contact 1128B is held for a second amount of time, as represented by the border 1132B. The first and second amounts of time are generally substantially the same, and the first and second contacts 1128A,B generally occur substantially simultaneously. The first and second contacts 1128A,B generally also include corresponding first and second contact movements 1136A,B, respectively. The first and second contact movements 1136A,B are generally in opposing directions. Stated another way, the first contact movement 1136A is towards the second contact 1136B, and the second contact movement 1136B is towards the first contact 1136A. More simply stated, the pinch gesture 1108 may be accomplished by a user's digits touching the screen in a pinching motion.

With reference to FIG. 11F, a spread gesture 1110 on the screen is depicted. The spread gesture 1110 may be initiated by a first contact 1128A to the screen by, for example, a first digit, and a second contact 1128B to the screen by, for example, a second digit. The first and second contacts 1128A,B may be detected by a common contact sensing portion of a common screen, by different contact sensing portions of a common screen, or by different contact sensing portions of different screens. The first contact 1128A is held for a first amount of time, as represented by the border 1132A, and the second contact 1128B is held for a second amount of time, as represented by the border 1132B. The first and second amounts of time are generally substantially the same, and the first and second contacts 1128A,B generally occur substantially simultaneously. The first and second contacts 1128A,B generally also include corresponding first and second contact movements 1136A,B, respectively. The first and second contact movements 1136A,B are generally in an opposing direction. Stated another way, the first and second contact movements 1136A,B are away from the first and second contacts 1128A,B. More simply stated, the spread gesture 1110 may be accomplished by a user's digits touching the screen in a spreading motion.

The above gestures may be combined in any manner, such as those shown by FIGS. 11G and 11H, to produce a determined functional result. For example, in FIG. 11G a tap gesture 1120 is combined with a drag or flick gesture 1112 in a direction away from the tap gesture 1120. In FIG. 11H, a tap gesture 1120 is combined with a drag or flick gesture 1116 in a direction towards the tap gesture 1120.

The functional result of receiving a gesture can vary depending on a number of factors, including a state of the vehicle 104, display, or screen of a device, a context associated with the gesture, or sensed location of the gesture, etc. The state of the vehicle 104 commonly refers to one or more of a configuration of the vehicle 104, a display orientation, and user and other inputs received by the vehicle 104. Context commonly refers to one or more of the particular application(s) selected by the gesture and the portion(s) of the application currently executing, whether the application is a single- or multi-screen application, and whether the application is a multi-screen application displaying one or more windows. A sensed location of the gesture commonly refers to whether the sensed set(s) of gesture location coordinates are on a touch sensitive display or a gesture capture region of a device 212, 248, whether the sensed set(s) of gesture location coordinates are associated with a common or different display, or screen, or device 212, 248, and/or what portion of the gesture capture region contains the sensed set(s) of gesture location coordinates.

A tap, when received by a touch sensitive display of a device 212, 248, can be used, for instance, to select an icon to initiate or terminate execution of a corresponding application, to maximize or minimize a window, to reorder windows in a stack, and/or to provide user input such as by keyboard display or other displayed image. A drag, when received by a touch sensitive display of a device 212, 248, can be used, for instance, to relocate an icon or window to a desired location within a display, to reorder a stack on a display, or to span both displays (such that the selected window occupies a portion of each display simultaneously). A flick, when received by a touch sensitive display of a device 212, 248 or a gesture capture region, can be used to relocate a window from a first display to a second display or to span both displays (such that the selected window occupies a portion of each display simultaneously). Unlike the drag gesture, however, the flick gesture is generally not used to move the displayed image to a specific user-selected location but to a default location that is not configurable by the user.

The pinch gesture, when received by a touch sensitive display or a gesture capture region of a device 212, 248, can be used to minimize or otherwise increase the displayed area or size of a window (typically when received entirely by a common display), to switch windows displayed at the top of the stack on each display to the top of the stack of the other display (typically when received by different displays or screens), or to display an application manager (a “pop-up window” that displays the windows in the stack). The spread gesture, when received by a touch sensitive display or a gesture capture region of a device 212, 248, can be used to maximize or otherwise decrease the displayed area or size of a window, to switch windows displayed at the top of the stack on each display to the top of the stack of the other display (typically when received by different displays or screens), or to display an application manager (typically when received by an off-screen gesture capture region on the same or different screens).

The combined gestures of FIG. 11G, when received by a common display capture region in a common display or screen of a device 212, 248, can be used to hold a first window location constant for a display receiving the gesture while reordering a second window location to include a window in the display receiving the gesture. The combined gestures of FIG. 11H, when received by different display capture regions in a common display or screen of a device 212, 248 or in different displays or screens of one more devices 212, 248, can be used to hold a first window location for a display receiving the tap part of the gesture while reordering a second window location to include a window in the display receiving the flick or drag gesture. Although specific gestures and gesture capture regions in the preceding examples have been associated with corresponding sets of functional results, it is to be appreciated that these associations can be redefined in any manner to produce differing associations between gestures and/or gesture capture regions and/or functional results.

Gestures that may be completed in three-dimensional space and not on a touch sensitive screen or gesture capture region of a device 212, 248 may be as shown in FIGS. 11I-11K. The gestures may be completed in an area where a sensor, such as an optical sensor, infrared sensor, or other type of sensor, may detect the gesture. For example, the gesture 1140 in FIG. 11I may be executed by a person when the person opens their hand 1164 and moves their hand in a back and forth direction 1148 as a gesture 1140 to complete some function with the vehicle 104. For example gesture 1140 may change the station of the radio in the vehicle 104. The sensors 242 may both determine the configuration of the hand 1164 and the vector of the movement. The vector and hand configuration can be interpreted to mean certain things to the vehicle control system 204 and produce different results.

In another example of a gesture 1152 in FIG. 11J, a user may configure their hand 1164 to extend two fingers and move the hand 1164 in an up and down operation 1156. This gesture 1152 may control the volume of the radio or some other function. For instance, this gesture 1152 may be configured to place the vehicle in a “valet” mode to, among other things, restrict access to certain features associated with the vehicle. Again, the sensors 242 may determine how the person has configured their hand 1164, and the vector of the movement. In another example of a gesture 1160 shown in FIG. 11K, a user may extend their middle three fingers at an angle that is substantially 45° for vertical from straight vertical and circle the hand in a counter-clockwise motion 1166. This gesture 1160 may cause the automobile to change the heat setting or do some other function. As can be understood by one skilled in the art, the configurations of the hand and the types of movement are variable. Thus, the user may configure the hand 1164 in any way imaginable and may also move that hand 1164 in any direction with any vector in three-dimensional space.

The gestures 1140, 1152, 1160, as shown in FIGS. 11I-11K, may occur in a predetermined volume of space within the vehicle 104. For example, a sensor may be configured to identify such gestures 1140, 1152, 1160 between the front passenger's and front driver's seats over a console area within the passenger compartment of the vehicle 104. The gestures 1140, 1152, 1160 may be made within area 1 508A between zones A 512A and B 512B. However, there may be other areas 508 where a user may use certain gestures, where sensors 242 may be able to determine a certain function is desired. Gestures that may be similar but used in different areas within the vehicle 104 may cause different functions to be performed. For example, the gesture 1140 in FIG. 11I, if used in zone E 512E, may change the heat provided in zone E 512E, but may change the station of a radio if used in zone A 512A and/or zone B 512B. Further, the gestures may be made with other body parts or, for example, different expressions of a person's face and may be used to control functions in the vehicle 104. Also, the user may use two hands in some circumstances or do other types of physical movements that can cause different reactions in the vehicle 104.

FIGS. 12A-12D show various embodiments of a data structure 1200 to store different settings. The data structure 1200 may include one or more of data files or data objects 1204, 1250, 1270, 1280. Thus, the data structure 1200 may represent different types of databases or data storage, for example, object-oriented data bases, flat file data structures, relational database, or other types of data storage arrangements. Embodiments of the data structure 1200 disclosed herein may be separate, combined, and/or distributed. As indicated in FIGS. 12A-12D, there may be more or fewer portions in the data structure 1200, as represented by ellipses 1244. Further, there may be more or fewer files in the data structure 1200, as represented by ellipses 1248.

Referring to FIG. 12A, a first data structure is shown. The data file 1204 may include several portions 1208-1242 representing different types of data. Each of these types of data may be associated with a user, as shown in portion 1208.

There may be one or more user records 1240 and associated data stored within the data file 1204. As provided herein, the user can be any person that uses or rides within the vehicle or conveyance 104. The user may be identified in portion 1212. For the vehicle 104, the user may include a set of one or more features that may identify the user. These features may be the physical characteristics of the person that may be identified by facial recognition or some other type of system. In other situations, the user may provide a unique code to the vehicle control system 204 or provide some other type of data that allows the vehicle control system 204 to identify the user. The features or characteristics of the user are then stored in portion 1212.

Each user, identified in portion 1208, may have a different set of settings for each area 508 and/or each zone 512 within the vehicle 104. Thus, each set of settings may also be associated with a predetermined zone 512 or area 508. The zone 512 is stored in portion 1220, and the area 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224 may be the configurations of different functions within the vehicle 104 that are specified by or for that user. For example, the settings 1224 may be the position of a seat, the position of a steering wheel, the position of accelerator and/or brake pedals, positions of mirrors, a heating/cooling setting, a radio setting, a cruise control setting, or some other type of setting associated with the vehicle 104. Further, in vehicles adapted to have a configurable console or a configurable dash or heads-up display, the settings 1224 may also provide for how that heads-up display, dash, or console are configured for this particular user.

Each setting 1224 may be associated with a different area 508 or zone 512. Thus, there may be more settings 1224 for when the user is the driver and in zone A 512A, 512A, of area 1, 508A. However, there may be similar settings 1224 among the different zones 512 or areas 508 as shown in portion 1224. For example, the heating or radio settings for the user may be similar in every zone 512.

The sensors 242 within the vehicle 104 may be able to either obtain or track health data in portion 1228. Health data 1228 may include any type of physical characteristic associated with the user. For example, a heart rate, a blood pressure, a temperature, or other types of heath data may be obtained and stored in portion 1228. The user may have this health data tracked over a period of time to allow for statistical analysis of the user's health while operating the vehicle 104. In this way, if some function of the user's health deviates from a norm (e.g., a baseline measurement, average measurements taken over time, and the like), the vehicle 104 may be able to determine there is a problem with the person and react to that data.

One or more gestures may be stored in portion 1232. Thus, the gestures used and described in conjunction FIG. 11A through 11K may be configurable. These gestures may be determined or created by the user and stored in portion 1132. A user may have different gestures for each zone 512 or area 508 within the vehicle. The gestures that do certain things while driving may do other things while in a different area 508 of the vehicle 104. Thus, the user may use a first set of gestures while driving and a second set while a passenger. Further, one or more users may share gestures as shown in portion 1232. Each driver may have a common set of gestures that they use in zone A 512A, 512A. Each of these gestures may be determined or captured and then stored with their characteristics (e.g., vector, position of gesture, etc.) in portion 1232.

One or more sets of safety parameters may be stored in portion 1236. Safety parameters 1236 may be common operating characteristics for this driver/passenger or for all drivers/passengers that if deviated from may determine there is a problem with the driver/passenger or the vehicle 104. For example, a certain route may be taken repeatedly and an average speed or mean speed may be determined. If the mean speed deviates by some number of standard deviations, a problem with the vehicle 104 or the user may be determined. In another example, the health characteristics or driving experience of the user may be determined. If the user drives in a certain position where their head occupies a certain portion of three-dimensional space within the vehicle 104, the vehicle control system 204 may determine that the safety parameter includes the users face or head being within this certain portion of the vehicle interior space. If the user's head deviates from that interior space for some amount of time, the vehicle control system 204 can determine that something is wrong with the driver and change the function or operation of the vehicle 104 to assist the driver. This may happen, for example, when a user falls asleep at the wheel. If the user's head droops and no longer occupies a certain three dimensional space, the vehicle control system 204 can determine that the driver has fallen asleep and may take control of the operation of the vehicle 204 and the automobile controller 8104 may steer the vehicle 204 to the side of the road. In other examples, if the user's reaction time is too slow or some other safety parameter is not nominal, the vehicle control system 204 may determine that the user is inebriated or having some other medical problem. The vehicle control system 204 may then assume control of the vehicle to ensure that the driver is safe.

Information corresponding to a user and/or a user profile may be stored in the profile information portion 1238. For example, the profile information 1238 may include data relating to at least one of current data, historical data, a user preference, user habit, user routine, observation, location data (e.g., programmed and/or requested destinations, locations of parking, routes traveled, average driving time, etc.), social media connections, contacts, brand recognition (e.g., determined via one or more sensors associated with the vehicle 104, a device 212, 248, etc.), audible recording data, text data, email data, political affiliation, preferred retail locations/sites (e.g., physical locations, web-based locations, etc.), recent purchases, behavior associated with the aforementioned data, and the like. The data in the profile information portion 1238 may be stored in one or more of the data structures 1200 provided herein. As can be appreciated, these one or more data structures may be stored in one or more memory locations. Examples of various memory locations are described in conjunction with FIG. 2.

One or more additional data fields may be stored in the linked data portion 1242 as data and/or locations of data. The linked data 1242 may include at least one of pointers, addresses, location identification, data source information, and other information corresponding to additional data associated with the data structure 1200. Optionally, the linked data portion 1242 may refer to data stored outside of a particular data structure 1200. For example, the linked data portion 1242 may include a link/locator to the external data. Continuing this example, the link/locator may be resolved (e.g., via one or more of the methods and/or systems provided herein, etc.) to access the data stored outside of the data structure 1200. Additionally or alternatively, the linked data portion 1242 may include information configured to link the data objects 1204 to other data files or data objects 1250, 1270, 1280. For instance, the data object 1204 relating to a user may be linked to at least one of a device data object 1250, a vehicle system data object 1270, and a vehicle data object 1280, to name a few.

An embodiment of a data structure 1200 to store information associated with one or more devices is shown in FIG. 12B. The data file 1250 may include several portions 1216-1262 representing different types of data. Each of these types of data may be associated with a device, as shown in portion 1252.

There may be one or more device records 1250 and associated data stored within the data file 1250. As provided herein, the device may be any device that is associated with the vehicle 104. For example, a device may be associated with a vehicle 104 when that device is physically located within the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. As another example, a device may be associated with a vehicle 104 when the device registers with the vehicle 104. Registration may include pairing the device with the vehicle 104 and/or one or more of the vehicle systems (e.g., as provided in FIG. 3). In some cases, the registration of a device with a vehicle 104 may be performed manually and/or automatically. An example of automatic registration may include detecting, via one or more of the vehicle systems, that a device is inside the vehicle 104. Upon detecting that the device is inside the vehicle 104, the vehicle system may identify the device and determine whether the device is or should be registered. Registration may be performed outside of a vehicle 104 via providing a unique code to the vehicle 104 and/or at least one of the vehicle systems.

The device may be identified in portion 1256. Among other things, the device identification may be based on the hardware associated with the device (e.g., Media Access Control (MAC) address, Burned-In Address (BIA), Ethernet Hardware Address (EHA), physical address, hardware address, and the like).

Optionally, a device may be associated with one or more users. For example, a tablet and/or graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the vehicle 104 may be used by multiple members of a family. For instance, the GUI may be located in a particular area 508 and/or zone 512 of the vehicle 104. Continuing this example, when a family member is located in the particular area 508 and/or zone 512, the device may include various settings, features, priorities, capabilities, and the like, based on an identification of the family member. The user may be identified in portion 1254. For the device, the user identification portion 1254 may include a set of one or more features that may identify a particular user. These features may be the physical characteristics of the person that may be identified by facial recognition, or some other type of system, associated with the device and/or the vehicle 104. Optionally, the user may provide a unique code to the device, or provide some other type of data, that allows the device to identify the user. The features or characteristics of the user are then stored in portion 1254.

Each device identified in the device identification portion 1256 may have a different set of settings for each area 508 and/or each zone 512, and/or each user of the device. Thus, each set of settings may also be associated with a predetermined zone 512, area 508, and/or user. The zone 512 is stored in portion 1220 and the area 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224 may be similar and/or identical to those previously described. Further, the settings 1224 may also provide for how a device is configured for a particular user. Each setting 1224 may be associated with a different area 508 or zone 512. Thus, there may be more restrictive settings 1224 (e.g., restricted multimedia, texting, limited access to device functions, and the like) for the device when the user is the driver and in zone A 512A, 512A, of area 1, 508A. However, when the user is in another zone 512 or area 508, for example, where the user is not operating a vehicle 104, the settings 1224 may provide unrestricted access to one or more features of the device (e.g., allowing texting, multimedia, etc.).

Optionally, the capabilities of a device may be stored in portion 1258. Examples of device capabilities may include, but are not limited to, a communications ability (e.g., via wireless network, EDGE, 3G, 4G, LTE, wired, Bluetooth®, Near Field Communications (NFC), Infrared (IR), etc.), hardware associated with the device (e.g., cameras, gyroscopes, accelerometers, touch interface, processor, memory, display, etc.), software (e.g., installed, available, revision, release date, etc.), firmware (e.g., type, revision, etc.), operating system, system status, and the like. Optionally, the various capabilities associated with a device may be controlled by one or more of the vehicle systems provided herein. Among other things, this control allows the vehicle 104 to leverage the power and features of various devices to collect, transmit, and/or receive data.

One or more priorities may be stored in portion 1260. The priority may correspond to a value, or combination of values, configured to determine how a device interacts with the vehicle 104 and/or its various systems. The priority may be based on a location of the device (e.g., as stored in portions 1216, 1220). A default priority can be associated with each area 508 and/or zone 512 of a vehicle 104. For example, the default priority associated with a device found in zone 1 512A of area 1 508A (e.g., a vehicle operator position) may be set higher than an (or the highest of any) alternative zone 512 or area 508 of the vehicle 104. Continuing this example, the vehicle 104 may determine that, although other devices are found in the vehicle, the device, having the highest priority, controls features associated with the vehicle 104. These features may include vehicle control features, critical and/or non-critical systems, communications, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the priority may be based on a particular user associated with the device. Optionally, the priority may be used to determine which device will control a particular signal in the event of a conflict.

Registration data may be stored in portion 1262. As described above, when a particular device registers with a vehicle 104, data related to the registration may be stored in the registration data portion 1262. Such data may include, but is not limited to, registration information, registration codes, initial registration time, expiration of registration, registration timers, and the like. Optionally, one or more systems of the vehicle 104 may refer to the registration data portion 1262 to determine whether a device has been previously registered with the vehicle 104. As shown in FIG. 12B, User 4 of Device 2 has not been registered. In this case, the registration data field 1262, for this user, may be empty, contain a null value, or other information/indication that there is no current registration information associated with the user.

Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 1200 may include a profile information portion 1238 and/or a linked data portion 1242. Although the profile information portion 1238 and/or the linked data portion 1242 may include different information from that described above, it should be appreciated that the portions 1238, 1242 may be similar, or identical, to those as previously disclosed.

An embodiment of a data structure 1200 to store information associated with one or more vehicle systems is shown in FIG. 12C. The data file 1270 may include several portions 1216-1279 representing different types of data. Each of these types of data may be associated with a vehicle system, as shown in portion 1272.

There may be one or more system records 1270 and associated data stored within the data file 1270. As provided herein, the vehicle systems may be any system and/or subsystem that is associated with the vehicle 104. Examples of various systems are described in conjunction with FIG. 3 and other related figures (e.g., systems 324-352, etc.). One example of a system associated with the vehicle 104 is the vehicle control system 204. Other systems may include communications subsystems 344, vehicle subsystems 328, and media subsystems 348, to name a few. It should be appreciated that the various systems may be associated with the interior space 108 and/or the exterior of the vehicle 104.

Each system may include one or more components. The components may be identified in portion 1274. Identification of the one or more components may be based on hardware associated with the component. This identification may include hardware addresses similar to those described in conjunction with the devices of FIG. 12B. Additionally or alternatively, a component can be identified by one or more signals sent via the component. Such signals may include an Internet Protocol (IP), or similar, address as part of the signal. Optionally, the signal may identify the component sending the signal via one or more of a header, a footer, a payload, and/or an identifier associated with the signal (e.g., a packet of a signal, etc.).

Each system and/or component may include priority type information in portion 1276. Among other things, the priority type information stored in portion 1276 may be used by the various methods and systems provided herein to differentiate between critical and non-critical systems. Non-limiting examples of critical systems may correspond to those systems used to control the vehicle 104, such as, steering control, engine control, throttle control, braking control, and/or navigation informational control (e.g., speed measurement, fuel measurement, etc.) Non-critical systems may include other systems that are not directly related to the control of the vehicle 104. By way of example, non-critical systems may include media presentation, wireless communications, comfort settings systems (e.g., climate control, seat position, seat warmers, etc.), and the like. Although examples of critical and/or non-critical systems are provided above, it should be appreciated that the priority type of a system may change (e.g., from critical to non-critical, from non-critical to critical, etc.) depending on the scenario. For instance, although the interior climate control system may be classified as a non-critical system at a first point in time, it may be subsequently classified as a critical system when a temperature inside/outside of the vehicle 104 is measured at a dangerous level (e.g., sub-zero Fahrenheit, greater than 90-degrees Fahrenheit, etc.). As such, the priority type may be associated with temperature conditions, air quality, times of the day, condition of the vehicle 104, and the like.

Each system may be associated with a particular area 508 and/or zone 512 of a vehicle 104. Among other things, the location of a system may be used to assess a state of the system and/or provide how the system interacts with one or more users of the vehicle 104. As can be appreciated each system may have a different set of settings for each area 508 and/or each zone 512, and/or each user of the system. Thus, each set of settings may also be associated with a predetermined zone 512, area 508, system, and/or user. The zone 512 is stored in portion 1220 and the area 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224 may be similar and/or identical to those previously described. Further, the settings 1224 may also provide for how a system is configured for a particular user. Each setting 1224 may be associated with a different area 508 or zone 512. For instance, a climate control system may be associated with more than one area 508 and/or zone 512. As such, a first user seated in zone 1 512A of area 1 508A may store settings related to the climate control of that zone 512A that are different from other users and/or zones 512 of the vehicle 104. Optionally, the settings may not be dependent on a user. For instance, specific areas 508 and/or zones 512 of a vehicle 104 may include different, default, or the same settings based on the information stored in portion 1224.

The various systems and/or components may be able to obtain or track health status data of the systems and/or components in portion 1278. The health status 1278 may include any type of information related to a state of the systems. For instance, an operational condition, manufacturing date, update status, revision information, time in operation, fault status, state of damage detected, inaccurate data reporting, and other types of component/system health status data may be obtained and stored in portion 1278.

Each component and/or system may be configured to communicate with users, systems, servers, vehicles, third parties, and/or other endpoints via one or more communication type. At least one communication ability and/or type associated with a system may be stored in the communication type portion 1279. Optionally, the communication types contained in this portion 1279 may be ordered in a preferential order of communication types. For instance, a system may be configured to preferably communicate via a wired communication protocol over one or more wired communication channels (e.g., due to information transfer speeds, reliability, and the like). However, in this instance, if the one or more wired communication channels fail, the system may transfer information via an alternative communication protocol and channel (e.g., a wireless communication protocol and wireless communication channel, etc.). Among other things, the methods and systems provided herein may take advantage of the information stored in the communication type portion 1279 to open available communication channels in the event of a communication channel failure, listen on other ports for information transmitted from the systems, provide a reliability rating based on the number of redundant communication types for each component, and more. Optionally, a component or system may be restricted from communicating via a particular communication type (e.g., based on rules, traffic, critical/non-critical priority type, and the like). In this example, the component or system may be forced by the vehicle control system 204 to use an alternate communication type where available, cease communications, or store communications for later transfer.

Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 1200 may include a profile information portion 1238 and/or a linked data portion 1242. Although the profile information portion 1238 and/or the linked data portion 1242 may include different information from that described above, it should be appreciated that the portions 1238, 1242 may be similar, or identical, to those as previously disclosed.

Referring now to FIG. 12D, a data structure 1200 is shown optionally. The data file 1280 may include several portions 1216-1286 representing different types of data. Each of these types of data may be associated with a vehicle, as shown in portion 1282.

There may be one or more vehicle records 1280 and associated data stored within the data file 1282. As provided herein, the vehicle 104 can be any vehicle or conveyance 104 as provided herein. The vehicle 104 may be identified in portion 1282. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle 104 may be identified by one or more systems and/or subsystems. The various systems of a vehicle 104 may be identified in portion 1284. For example, various features or characteristics of the vehicle 104 and/or its systems may be stored in portion 1284. Optionally, the vehicle 104 may be identified via a unique code or some other type of data that allows the vehicle 104 to be identified.

Each system may be associated with a particular area 508 and/or zone 512 of a vehicle 104. Among other things, the location of a system may be used to assess a state of the system and/or provide how the system interacts with one or more users of the vehicle 104. As can be appreciated each system may have a different set of settings for each area 508 and/or each zone 512, and/or each user of the system. Thus, each set of settings may also be associated with a predetermined zone 512, area 508, system, and/or user. The zone 512 is stored in portion 1220 and the area 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224 may be similar and/or identical to those previously described. Further, the settings 1224 may also provide for how a vehicle and/or its systems are configured for one or more users. Each setting 1224 may be associated with a different area 508 or zone 512. Optionally, the settings may not be dependent on a particular user. For instance, specific areas 508 and/or zones 512 of a vehicle 104 may include different, default, or the same settings based on the information stored in portion 1224.

The various systems and/or components may be able to obtain or track health status data of the systems and/or components in portion 1278. The health status 1278 may include any type of information related to a state of the systems. For instance, an operational condition, manufacturing date, update status, revision information, time in operation, fault status, state of damage detected, inaccurate data reporting, and other types of component/system health status data may be obtained and stored in portion 1278.

One or more warnings may be stored in portion 1286. The warnings data 1286 may include warning generated by the vehicle 104, systems of the vehicle 104, manufacturer of the vehicle, federal agency, third party, and/or a user associated with the vehicle. For example, several components of the vehicle may provide health status information (e.g., stored in portion 1278) that, when considered together, may suggest that the vehicle 104 has suffered some type of damage and/or failure. Recognition of this damage and/or failure may be stored in the warnings data portion 1286. The data in portion 1286 may be communicated to one or more parties (e.g., a manufacturer, maintenance facility, user, etc.). In another example, a manufacturer may issue a recall notification for a specific vehicle 104, system of a vehicle 104, and/or a component of a vehicle 104. It is anticipated that the recall notification may be stored in the warning data field 1286. Continuing this example, the recall notification may then be communicated to the user of the vehicle 104 notifying the user of the recall issued by the manufacturer.

Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 1200 may include a profile information portion 1238 and/or a linked data portion 1242. Although the profile information portion 1238 and/or the linked data portion 1242 may include different information from that described above, it should be appreciated that the portions 1238, 1242 may be similar, or identical, to those as previously disclosed.

An embodiment of a method 1300 for storing settings for a user 216 associated with vehicle 104 is shown in FIG. 13. While a general order for the steps of the method 1300 is shown in FIG. 13, the method 1300 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 13. Generally, the method 1300 starts with a start operation 1304 and ends with an end operation 1336. The method 1300 can be executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 1300 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-12.

A person may enter the vehicle space 108. One or more sensors 242 may then identify that a person is sitting within the vehicle 104, in step 1308. For example, sensors 242 in a seat, may determine that some new amount of weight has been registered. The amount of weight may fall within predetermined parameters (e.g., over a threshold, in a specific range, etc.). This weight may then be determined to be a person by one or more optical or other sensors 242. The vehicle control system 204 may then determine that a person is in a certain zone 512 or area 508. For example, the sensors 242 may send signals to the vehicle controls system 204 that an event has occurred. This information may be sent to the vehicle control system processor 304 to determine the zone 512 and area 508 where the event occurred. Further, the vehicle control system 204 may then identify the person, in step 1312.

The vehicle control system 204 can receive the information from the sensors 242 and use that information to search the database 1200 that may be stored within the system data 208. The sensor data may be compared to ID characteristics 1212 to determine if the person has already been identified. The vehicle control system 204 may also send the characteristic data from the sensors to the communication network 224 to a server 228 to compare the sensor data to stored data 232 that may be stored in a cloud system. The person's features can be compared to stored features 1212 to determine if the person in the vehicle 104 can be identified.

If the person has been identified previously and their characteristics stored in portion 1212, the method 1300 proceeds YES to step 1316 where that person may be identified. In identifying a person, the information associated with that person 1240 may be retrieved and provided to the vehicle control system 204 for further action. If a person cannot be identified by finding their sensor characteristics in portion 1212, the method 1300 proceeds NO to step 1320. In step 1320, the vehicle control system 204, using an application, may create a new record in table 1200 for the user. This new record may store a user identifier and their characteristics 1212. It may also store the area 508 and zone 512 in data portions 1216 and 1220. The new record may then be capable of receiving new settings data for this particular user. In this way, the vehicle 104 can automatically identify or characterize a person so that settings may be established for the person in the vehicle 104.

The input module 312 may then determine if settings are to be stored, in step 1324. Settings might be any configuration of the vehicle 104 that may be associated with the user. The determination may be made after receiving a user input from the user. For example, the user may make a selection on a touch sensitive display indicating that settings currently made are to be stored. In other situations, a period of time may elapse after the user has made a configuration. After determining that the user is finished making changes to the settings, based on the length of the period of time since the setting was established, the vehicle control system 204 can save the setting. Thus, the vehicle control system 204 can make settings automatically based on reaching a steady state for settings for user.

The vehicle control system 204 may then store the settings for the person, in step 1328. The user interaction subsystem 332 can make a new entry for the user 1208 in data structure 1204. The new entry may be either a new user or a new settings listed in 1224. The settings may be stored based on the area 508 and zone 512. As explained previously, the settings can be any kind of configuration of the vehicle 104 that may be associated with the user in that area 508 and the zone 512.

The settings may also be stored in cloud storage, in step 1332. Thus, the vehicle control system 204 can send the new settings to the server 228 to be stored in storage 232. In this way, these new settings may be ported to other vehicles for the user. Further, the settings in storage system 232 may be retrieved, if local storage does not include the settings in storage system 208.

Additionally or alternatively, the settings may be stored in profile data 252. As provided herein, the profile data 252 may be associated with one or more devices 212, 248, servers 228, vehicle control systems 204, and the like. Optionally, the settings in profile data 252 may be retrieved in response to conditions. For instance, the settings may be retrieved from at least one source having the profile data if local storage does not include the settings in storage system 208. As another example, a user 216 may wish to transfer settings stored in profile data 252 to the system data 208. In any event, the retrieval and transfer of settings may be performed automatically via one or more devices 204, 212, 248, associated with the vehicle 104.

An embodiment of a method 1400 to configure the vehicle 104 based on stored settings is shown in FIG. 14. A general order for the steps of the method 1400 is shown in FIG. 14. Generally, the method 1400 starts with a start operation 1404 and ends with an end operation 1428. The method 1400 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 14. The method 1400 can be executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 1400 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-13.

The vehicle control system 204 can determine if a person is in a zone 512 or area 508, in step 1408. This determination may be made by receiving data from one or more sensors 242. The vehicle 104 can use facial recognition, weight sensors, heat sensors, or other sensors to determine whether a person is occupying a certain zone 512.

Using the information from the sensors 242, the vehicle control system 204 can identify the person, in step 1412. The vehicle control system 204 can obtain characteristics for the user currently occupying the zone 512 and compare those characteristics to the identifying features in portion 1212 of data structure 1204. Thus, the settings in portion 1224 may be retrieved by identifying the correct zone 512, area 508, and characteristics for the user.

The vehicle control system 204 can first determine if there are settings associated with the identified person for that zone 512 and/or area 508, in step 1416. After identifying the user by matching characteristics with the features in portion 1212, the vehicle control system 204 can determine if there are settings for the user for the area 1216 and zone 1220 the user currently occupies. If there are settings, then the vehicle control system 204 can make the determination that there are settings in portion 1224, and the vehicle control system 204 may then read and retrieve those settings, in step 1420. The settings may be then used to configure or react to the presence of the user, in step 1424. Thus, these settings may be obtained to change the configuration of the vehicle 104, for example, how the position of the seats or mirrors are set, how the dash, console, or heads up display is configured, how the heat or cooling is configured, how the radio is configured, or how other different configurations are made.

Embodiments of a method 1500 for storing settings in cloud storage are shown in FIG. 15. A general order for the steps of the method 1500 is shown in FIG. 15. Generally, the method 1500 starts with a start operation 1504 and ends with an end operation 1540. The method 1500 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 15. The method 1500 can be executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 1500 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-14.

The vehicle control system 204 can determine if a person is in a zone 512 or area 508, in step 1508. As explained previously, the vehicle control system 204 can receive vehicle sensor data from vehicle sensors 242 that show a person has occupied a zone 512 or an area 508 of the vehicle 104. Using the vehicle sensor data, the vehicle control system 204 can determine characteristics of the person, in step 1512. These characteristics are compared to the features in portion 1212 of the data structure 1204. From this comparison, the vehicle control system 204 can determine if the person is identified within the data structure 1204, in step 1516. If there is a comparison and the person can be identified, the method 1500 proceeds YES to step 1520. However, if the person cannot be identified, the method 1500 proceeds NO, to step 1524.

In step 1520, the person is identified in portion 1208 by the successful comparison of the characteristics and the features. It should be noted that there may be a degree of variability between the characteristics and the features in portion 1212. Thus, the comparison may not be an exact comparison but may use methods known in the art to make a statistically significant comparison between the characteristics received from the sensors 242 and the features stored in portion 1212. In step 1524, the characteristics received from sensors 242 are used to characterize the person. In this way, the received characteristics may be used as an ID, in portion 1212, for a new entry for a new user in portion 1208.

The user may make one or more settings for the vehicle 104. The vehicle control system 204 may determine if the settings are to be stored, in step 1528. If the settings are to be stored, the method 1500 proceeds YES to step 1536. If the settings are not to be stored or if there are no settings to be stored, the method 1500 proceeds NO to step 1532. In step 1532, the vehicle control system 204 can retrieve the settings in the portion 1224 of the data structure 1204. Retrieval of the settings may be as described in conjunction with FIG. 14. If settings are to be stored, the vehicle control system 204 can send those settings to server 228 to be stored in data storage 232, in step 1536. Data storage 232 acts as cloud storage that can be used to retrieve information on the settings from other vehicles or from other sources. Thus, the cloud storage 232 allows for permanent and more robust storage of user preferences for the settings of the vehicle 104.

An embodiment of a method 1600 for storing gestures associated with the user is shown in FIG. 16. A general order for the steps of the method 1600 is shown in FIG. 16. Generally, the method 1600 starts with a start operation 1604 and ends with an end operation 1640. The method 1600 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 16. The method 1600 can be executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 1600 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-15.

Vehicle control system 204 may receive sensor data from sensors 242 to determine a person is occupying a zone 512 in an area 508 of the vehicle 104, in step 1608. The sensor data may provide characteristics for the person, in step 1612. The vehicle control system 204 may then use the characteristics to determine if the person can be identified, in step 1616. The vehicle control system 204 may compare the characteristics to the features in portion 1212 for the people having been recognized and having data associated therewith. If a comparison is made between the characteristics and the features in portion 1212, the person can be identified, and the method 1600 proceeds YES to step 1620. If there is no comparison, the method 1600 may proceed NO to step 1624. In step 1620, the person may be identified by the vehicle control system 204. Thus, the person's features and associated data record 1240 may be determined and the user identified in portion 1208. If the person is not identified, the vehicle control system 204 can characterize the person in step 1624 by establishing a new record in data structure 1204 using the characteristics, received from the sensors 242, for the features in portion 1212.

Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 may determine if gestures are to be stored and associated with the user, in step 1628. The vehicle control system 204 may receive user input on a touch sensitive display or some other type of gesture capture region which acknowledges that the user wishes to store one or more gestures. Thus, the user may create their own gestures such as those described in conjunction with FIGS. 11A-11K. These gestures may then be characterized and stored in data structure 1204. If there are gestures to be stored, the method 1600 proceeds YES to step 1636. If gestures are not to be stored the method 1600 may proceed NO to step 1632.

In step 1632, the vehicle control system 204 can retrieve current gestures from portion 1232, which are associated with user 1240. These gestures may be used then to configure how the vehicle 104 will react if a gesture is received. If gestures are to be stored, the vehicle control system 204 may store characteristics, in step 1636, as received from sensor 242 or from one more user interface inputs. These characteristics may then be used to create the stored gestures 1232, in data structure 1204. The characteristics may include what the gesture looks like or appears and also what affect the gesture should have. This information may then be used to change the configuration or operation of the vehicle 104 based on the gesture if it is received at a later time.

An embodiment of a method 1700 for receiving a gesture and configuring the vehicle 104 based on the gesture may be as provided in FIG. 17. A general order for the steps of the method 1700 is shown in FIG. 17. Generally, the method 1700 starts with a start operation 1704 and ends with an end operation 1728. The method 1700 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 17. The method 1700 can be executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 1700 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-16.

A vehicle control system 204 can receive sensor data from vehicle sensors 242. The vehicle sensor data can be used by the vehicle control system 204 to determine that a person is in a zone 512 or area 508, in step 1708. The vehicle sensor data may then be used to compare against feature characteristics 1212 to identify a person, in step 1712. The vehicle control system 204 thereinafter may receive a gesture, in step 1716. The gesture may be perceived by vehicle sensors 242 or received in a gesture capture region. The gesture may be as described in conjunction with FIGS. 11A-11K. Upon receiving the gesture, the vehicle control system 204 can compare the gesture to gesture characteristics in portion 1232, in step 1720. The comparison may be made so that a statistically significant correlation between the sensor data or gesture data and the gesture characteristic 1232 is made. Upon identifying the gesture, the vehicle control system 204 can configure the vehicle 104 and/or react to the gesture, in step 1724. The configuration or reaction to the gesture may be as prescribed in the gesture characteristic 1232.

An embodiment of a method 1800 for storing health data may be as shown in FIG. 18. A general order for the steps of the method 1800 is shown in FIG. 18. Generally, the method 1800 starts with a start operation 1804 and ends with an end operation 1844. The method 1800 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 18. The method 1800 can be executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 1800 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-17.

Vehicle control system 204 can receive sensor data from sensors 242. The sensor data may be used to determine that a person is in a zone 512 or area 508, in step 1808. The sensor data may then be used to determine characteristics of the person, in step 1812. From the characteristics, the vehicle control system 204 can determine if a person may be identified in data structure 1204, in step 1816. If it is determined that the person can be identified in step 1816, the method 1800 proceeds YES to step 1820. If the person cannot be identified, the method 1800 proceeds NO to step 1824. A person may be identified by matching the characteristics of a person from the sensor data to the features shown in portion 1212. If these comparisons are statistically significant, the person may be identified in portion 1208, in step 1820. However, if the person is not identified in portion 1208, the vehicle control system 204 can characterize the person using the vehicle sensor data, in step 1824. In this way, the vehicle control system 204 can create a new record for a new user in data structure 1204.

Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 may receive health and/or safety data from the vehicle sensors 242, in step 1828. The vehicle control system 204 can determine if the health or safety data is to be stored, in step 1832. The determination is made as to whether or not there is sufficient health data or safety parameters, in portion 1228 and 1236, to provide a reasonable baseline data pattern for the user 1240. If there is data to be received and stored, the vehicle control system 204 can store the data for the person in portions 1228 and 1236 of the data structure 1204, in step 1832.

The vehicle control system 204 may then wait a period of time, in step 1836. The period of time may be any amount of time from seconds to minutes to days. Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 can receive new data from vehicle sensors 242, in step 1828. Thus, the vehicle control system 204 can receive data periodically and update or continue to refine the health data and safety parameters in data structure 1204. Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 may optionally store the health and safety data in cloud storage 232 by sending it through the communication network 224 to the server 228, in step 1840.

An embodiment of a method 1900 for monitoring the health of a user may be as shown in FIG. 19. A general order for the steps of the method 1900 is shown in FIG. 19. Generally, the method 1900 starts with a start operation 1904 and ends with an end operation 1928. The method 1900 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 19. The method 1900 can be executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 1900 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-18.

The vehicle control system 204 can receive health data from sensors 242. The health data may be received in step 1908. The vehicle control system 204 may then compare the received health data to stored health parameters in portion 1228 or portion 1236, in step 1912. The comparison may check if there is statistically significant separation or disagreement between the received health data and the stored health data. Thus, the vehicle control system 204 can make a health comparison of the user based on a baseline of health data previously stored. A statistically significant comparison may include determining if there are any parameters more than three standard deviations from the average or norm, any parameter that is increasing or decreasing over a period of eight different measurements, a measurement that is more than two standard deviations from the norm more than three measurements consecutively, or other types of statistical comparisons.

If the vehicle control system 204 determines that measured health parameter does deviate from the norm, the vehicle control system 204 can determine whether the health data is within acceptable limits, in step 1916. If the health data is within acceptable limits, the method 1900 proceeds YES back to receiving new health data, in step 1908. In this way, the health data is periodically or continually monitored to ensure that the driver is in a healthy state and able to operate the vehicle. If the health data is not within acceptable parameters, the method 1900 may proceed NO to step 1924 where the vehicle control system 204 may react to the change in the health data. The reaction may include any measure to provide for the safety of the user, such as stopping the vehicle, beginning to drive the vehicle, driving the vehicle to a new location, such as a hospital, waking the driver with an alarm or other noise, or performing some other function that may help maintain the health or safety of the user.

The health data received may be a reaction from the driver. For example, the driver may call for help or ask the vehicle for assistance. For example, the driver or passenger may say that they are having a medical emergency and ask the car to perform some function to help. The function to help may include driving the person to a hospital or stopping the car and calling for emergency assistance.

FIG. 20 outlines another exemplary embodiment of optional components within the user/device interaction subsystem. In particular, the user/device interaction subsystem can optionally include a vehicle communications module 2004, a vehicle personality module 2008 and a context module 2012, in communication with one or more of the other modules/interfaces discussed herein.

In accordance with an optional exemplary embodiment, a vehicle may initiate communications with one or more third parties based on a context of the vehicle and/or the user(s). In some cases, the vehicle can create and use a second personality for the user(s) via the user's mobile device. For instance, a user may be traveling home from work (this determination being predicted, for example, based on prior trips made at the same time or a similar time of day by the user, and/or information stored in the user's profile data and/or navigation information) and the vehicle may send a message, such as a text message, phone call, e-mail, or the like, to a third party to indicate the user is on their way home. In some embodiments, the vehicle may set up a group personality to represent two or more users associated with the vehicle. In one embodiment, a person may communicate with the vehicle's second personality directly. In this example, a user may be in an area where texting while driving is restricted by law. However, a user may communicate with another person, and vice versa, via the second personality of the vehicle. The second personality (vehicle) may intercept messages sent to the user and report any associated content to the user via one or more speakers and/or displays associated with the vehicle—thereby helping the user comply with the hands-free law. Additionally, or alternatively, the user may send spoken messages, video clips, combinations thereof, and the like, via the second personality without physically creating and sending a text message, e-mail, or the like. For example, through using a speech-to-text converter, one or more of content and commands can be prepared and sent via the second (vehicle) personality. Similarly, using a text-to-speech converter, messages receive by the second personality (vehicle) can be relayed to the user, via, for example, the vehicle sound system.

More specifically, the vehicle can have a vehicle personality that is developed with the cooperation of the vehicle personality module 2008, with this vehicle personality being storable in, for example, a vehicle profile data storage (not shown). This developed vehicle personality can be based on one or more users of the vehicle, such as the driver, and one or more passengers. The vehicle personality, in one optional embodiment, can act on behalf of the user and/or passengers, to perform various tasks, functions, and communications with one or more other individuals and/or entities and/or vehicles. This vehicle personality can be used, for example, in conjunction with user's mobile communication device 212, with the vehicle able to send communications, using the communication device 212. The vehicle personality can also use the on board vehicle communication systems, with the vehicle personality module 2008 able to cooperate with the vehicle communications module 2004 to one or more of send/receive any type of communication. As will be appreciated, the vehicle personality module 2008, cooperating with the vehicle communications module 2004, is able to send communications, for example, on behalf of the driver, with the communications appearing to optionally originate with the vehicle. For example, and as discussed above, when a user is traveling home from work, with this context being determinable by the context module 2012 in cooperation with, for example, the navigation subsystem, the vehicle personality module 2008 can generate a message, and send the message, for example, to the user's home, indicating that based on current traffic and/or weather conditions, the user is expected home in 22 minutes. Alternatively, or in addition, the vehicle may initiate communications with one or more third parties based on the context of the vehicle and/or one or more users, in cooperation with the context module 2012. In some optional cases, the vehicle sets up one or more second personalities for one or more of the users of the vehicle based on content in the user's mobile device 212 (for example via a query procedure). For example, communication(s) sent via the vehicle can be associated with a vehicle personality. For example, the vehicle personality includes various types of identifying information such as “Joe's Truck” or other identifiers that would allow third parties to determine from where the communication(s) was sent. In some optionally embodiments, the second personality may be identified via an icon, or other identifier, either audible and/or visual, associated with the communication. As will be appreciated, this icon or other identifier can be associated and forwarded with any one or more of the communications discussed herein to allow the third part to determine the origin of the message. The identifier can also include information regarding whom the vehicle personality is based on. As one example, the vehicle personality could be “Brand Y Sedan with Sandy, Bob and Jill,” and for a work truck, “Truck 116, Line Truck, with Mike and John,” and for a first responder, “Ambulance 21, Sue (driver), Pat (paramedic) and Chris (paramedic)”

In some optional embodiments, the vehicle, in cooperation with the vehicle personality module 2008, may set up a group personality to represent two or more users associated with the vehicle, e.g., a driver and their passengers. The group personality may depend on one or more of the number of people detected in the vehicle, and the group personality may send communications via at least one of the user's mobile devices, such as mobile device 212, and/or in cooperation with one or more of the vehicle communications systems as discussed herein.

For example, communications sent via the vehicle can be associated with a vehicle group personality that is similarly storage in a vehicle profile data store. Similar to the second personality discussed herein, in some optional embodiments, the group personality may be identified via an icon or other identifier associated with the communication, and may also reflect the one or more users that were used as the basis for developing the group personality. For example, the icon or other identifier may include three icons, with each of the icons representing one of the three individuals that are currently in the vehicle. As with the other disclosed embodiments, the context module 2012, is able to determine, based on the current context of the vehicle and the one or more users, whether one or more messages should be sent, and where these one or more messages should be sent based on, for example, information in the vehicle profile data and/or user preference information, and/or information associated with the user's communications device 212 and/or in combination with a context module and/or an intelligent assistant.

In an optional embodiment, the user may be traveling home from work, based on information from the navigation system, and that they have picked up their child from day care. Another vehicle subsystem has determined that the child may need a diaper change and is crying because they are hungry. Here, since the context module 2012 is aware that drivers are not allowed to utilize their mobile communications device while driving, the context module 2012 cooperates with the vehicle personality module 2008 and the vehicle communications module 2004 to assemble a message to be sent home indicating that the driver is twelve minutes from home, the baby needs changing, and is hungry. As discussed, this communication may be identified as being sent from a vehicle, such as a vehicle icon with a message, and may also include supplemental information indicating who is the driver and that they are with an infant passenger. The third party may optionally respond to the message, which can then be relayed, either visually and/or audibly, to the user via one or more of the components of the vehicle, such as the dashboard, head unit, speakers, video display, or any combination thereof. By way of example, the third party may state “please pick up some eggs, diapers, and fabric softener before you come home, thanks” The vehicle personality could then optionally suggest a route change to take the driver to a grocery store proximate to the trip home.

FIG. 21 outlines optional vehicle componentry usable, for example, for software and/or firmware updates that can be distributed in a viral manner. In addition to already described componentry, FIG. 21 optionally further includes a vehicle firmware/software system 2104, storage 2106, a message module 2108, a status module 2112, one or more other vehicles, such as vehicle A 2116, vehicle B 2120, and vehicle N 2124, as well as a software/firmware server 2140 connected to data storage 2144.

In accordance with an optional exemplary embodiment, software and/or firmware on vehicle 104 can be updated in a similar manner to the way in which a virus spreads. For example, as software and/or firmware changes occur, the dissemination of the updates may be employed by pushing updates to vehicles that are in communication range of a vehicle with an update version. In some cases, this update may include at least one vehicle updating another vehicle as the second vehicle passes within communication range of the updated vehicle. Viral communications of this type allow vehicles to relay messages, software updates, etc., to other vehicles over one or more of the vehicle communication subsystems, as well as optionally in cooperation, or alternatively, exclusively using, for example, a user's communication device, such as a smart phone.

In accordance with an exemplary operationally embodiment, a first vehicle may have received a software update from a first signal source, while a second vehicle did not receive this software update, e.g., whether due to a signal interruption, lack of signal, low signal, not running, or the like. Here, the first vehicle may transmit the software update to the second vehicle when the first vehicle is in communication proximity with the second vehicle, whether traveling along a road, next to each other, parked at a stopped light, parked overnight in a parking space, or in general in any scenario in which the first vehicle is in communication proximity with the second or further vehicles. In some optional embodiments, the software update of the second vehicle may be initiated by the first vehicle and completed by another vehicle. In other words, the update process may include a communication from vehicle-to-vehicle, where the communication includes a progress indicator so that a third vehicle can continue the update process where the second vehicle left off and so on, with this status of the update progress being optionally indicated as part of the communications between the vehicles.

More specifically, vehicle firmware/software system 2104, cooperating with one or more of the diagnostic communications module 256, and the vehicle control system 204, commences communication with the software/firmware server 2140, to determine whether or not an updated firmware or software version is available. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the above, the message module 2108 can receive a message from the software/firmware server 2140 indicating that the software/firmware update is available and/or a user can be notified that a firmware/software update is available. When a software/firmware update becomes available, the vehicle 104 is able to retrieve that software/firmware update from one or more of the stored data 2144, and/or from one or more the other vehicles, such as vehicle A 2116, vehicle B 2120 and/or vehicle N 2124. As will be appreciated, these other vehicles 2116-2124 can be similarly equipped with one or more of the message module 2108, status module 2112, and vehicle firmware/software system 2104 in associated with storage 2106. In cooperation with the status module 2112, each vehicle can maintain information regarding the status of that vehicle's firmware/software system, any updates that that vehicle has, either complete or partial and the compatibility of that vehicle's software/firmware with another vehicles firmware/software.

For example, the message module 2018, upon receiving a notification that there is updated firmware/software available, can begin messaging or querying other vehicles to determine whether or not they have received some or all of a compatible firmware/software update. If a vehicle responds that they do have some or all of that vehicle update, message module 2108, cooperating with vehicle firmware/software system 2104, can commence downloading of that software/firmware update from the vehicle(s) that has the update available. As will be appreciated, information from one or both vehicles can also be analyzed by the vehicle firmware/software system such as GPS information. For example, GPS information from both vehicles, upon the indication that one vehicle has a software update for another vehicle, indicates that based on their projected trajectories the vehicles will only in communication for a matter of seconds, the vehicle firmware/software system may opt to not begin downloading from the other vehicle. If, however, for example, the two vehicles are parked beside each other in a parking lot, the vehicle firmware/software system can coordinate with the one or more other vehicles that have the updated firmware/software available and begin the download process. Moreover, one or more rules, preferences, and other factors, such as battery power, network bandwidth, network congestion, network usage, and the like, can be taken into consideration before one vehicle begins downloaded the firmware/software update from another vehicle. As will be appreciated, various preferences and rules can be established that govern 1) whether the vehicle even broadcasts information regarding which firmware/software version is available and 2) whether the vehicle's owner is willing to allow that vehicle to one or more of download or upload its software/firmware to one or more other vehicles.

As illustrated in FIG. 21, exchanging of firmware/software can occur either directly between vehicles, or with the cooperation of the communication network 224, and/or optionally in cooperation with a user's communication device, such as communication device 212. In this way, software/firmware distribution can occur without all vehicles needing the update having to acquire it from the same source. In a similar manner, the vehicle's on board communication system can be used either alternatively, or in conjunction, with the above described embodiment to allow one or more of the transmission or reception of vehicle firmware/software updates. It should be appreciated however, that the disclosed embodiment is not limited to firmware/software, and in general can include any type of information, message, or data exchanged between a first, and at least a second vehicle.

FIG. 22 illustrates some of the optional componentry that can be utilized for vehicle-to-vehicle social and business communications. In addition to the elements already discussed, FIG. 22 optionally includes a social/business communication module 2204, storage 2208, a safety module 2260, a message module 2212, a filter module 2216, and an image retrieval/notification module 2264. In addition, one or more social networks are illustrated by element 2236, and their associated storage 2240, as well as one or more other networks, 2248, and their associated storage 2244, as well as one or more navigation networks 2252 along with their associated stored data 2256, and stored images and/or videos 2268, which can be held in a repository/data store.

In accordance with optional exemplary operational embodiment, vehicles may communicate with one another to share social and/or business information. Such information may include data that one user may wish to share with another user based on privacy settings. For example, a user may wish to sell a car they are driving. As the user drives a car around town, the car may communicate the “For Sale” status to other vehicles nearby. In one optional embodiment, the communication of this information may be filtered by one or more receiving vehicles. An example of the filter may include when a user is actively looking for a car, and may request information about cars for sale. In some optional embodiments, the vehicle, whether sender or receiver, may review personal information stored in a mobile phone, in a profile data, in a cloud, or some other device and/or service, such as social networks, e-mail, text messaging, and the like, to automatically set and configure this information.

More specifically, in accordance with one optional embodiment, inter-car communication can be controlled by, for example, user or driver preferences. For example, a driver can define what information is shared with other cars—that is what information is given out, and to whom. So, for example, family member's vehicles may have access to more or different information then strangers would have.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, inter-car communications can be utilized for advertising. If, for example, a vehicle able to advertise that it is for sale, it may no longer be necessary to advertise that vehicle on, for example, a “vehicles for sale” website. For advertising, the user can program information in the vehicle regarding the vehicle being for sale—year, miles, condition, contact information, etc. This information can then be broadcast to one or more other vehicles in communication range of the first vehicle. A vehicle receiving this information, can display it on, for example, the vehicle display, and optionally also inform the driver that the vehicle is 2 cars ahead of them (based on an assessment of both vehicle's GPS coordinate information). The vehicle can also automatically initiate a communication to the vehicle for sale if there is an interest in it by the user.

In a similar manner, inter-car communications can be used to exchange such things as danger warnings between cars, driver behaviors, driver ratings, erratic behavior, road conditions, and in general any type of information. For example, for driver ratings, drivers can rate other drivers where the ratings optionally appear in a social networking format. In a similar manner as above, these driver ratings can optionally be “broadcast” to one or more other vehicle that may be close. In this manner, drivers could be informed about the quality of other drivers around them—with this information being displayable in, for example, the vehicle display in a graphical format.

For example, a phone call to the police could generate data about another driver that goes into a public ratings system, such as a department of motor vehicles-based rating system, a social network(s), or the like. One of the exemplary advantageous associated with this type of rating system is that it could generate a self-policing system to promote better driving habits and behaviors. In a similar manner, this inter-car communication can be used to notify other drivers of dangerous situations, such as “another vehicle is approaching you in the fog, please turn on your lights.” These inter-car communications could further include real-time information such that when vehicle in front of you is about to turn into your path, a message played to the driver to “hit the brakes”, or the like. In a similar manner a message can be sent to the vehicle behind to alert the driver that there is an evasive stop being performed and/or recommend taking evasive action. This can be coupled with car GPS-to-car GPS communications, such that, for example, where someone is lost and does not know the way to a particular destination, the GPS of a person already in route to that destination can feed information to the person that is lost with recommendations as to what is the best route for the lost individual to get to the destination.

In accordance with one optional embodiment, the social/business communication module 2204, in cooperation with storage 2208, can be utilized to one or more of exchange information, send or receive advertising, exchange messages, exchange information, track behaviors, and the like.

In accordance with one optional embodiment, social networks 2236 are able to be integrated into vehicle and/or vehicle user operations. More specifically, and in cooperation with the social/business communication module 2204, the message module 2212, and the filter module 2216, a user associated with the vehicle is able to share and/or associate information with or about another vehicle using a social network. More specifically, and in cooperation with the vehicle detection module 2232, the proximity of another vehicle, such as vehicle A 2220, vehicle B 2224, or vehicle N 2228 is able to be detected. As will be appreciated, the other vehicle(s) may invoke one or more privacy settings or filters to prohibit or limit interrogation of their presence by the vehicle detection module 2232. Depending on one or more of the preferences, filter settings, and type of message to be sent and/or received, the other vehicles are capable of restricting and/or filtering one or more of an interrogation by the vehicle detection module, and one or more messages that can be sent or received or associated with them on the social network.

For example, if one or more of the other vehicles receive an emergency message, the message can be identified as such and a filter in one of the other vehicles allow that type of message to go through. Whereas advertising messages, such that vehicle 104 is for sale, could be blocked. As will be appreciated, user preferences can be established and the various rules implemented in a filter module to govern the types of messages and/or information that is sent and/or received.

Optionally in conjunction with the detection of another vehicle by the vehicle detection module 2232, vehicle 104 is also capable of identifying, for example, a communications device associated with one or more of the users of the other vehicle. Therefore, in accordance with one optional embodiment, in addition to being able to identify a vehicle, the system can also identify an individual associated with that vehicle, which can be used in conjunction with the various techniques disclosed herein, to post information on a social network about, and/or send a communication to.

For example, if the driver is a good driver, always signaling, and obeying traffic signs, the user of vehicle 104 may want to post on a social network site the user associated with the other vehicle is a good driver. In contrast, if the driver is a behaving erratically, or appears to under the influence of a drug or alcohol, in conjunction with the social/business communication module 2204, storage 2208, and message module 2212, a user of vehicle 104 may post information on a social network site about the behavior of the detected vehicle and/or the user associated with that detected vehicle. As is to be appreciated, the posting or dissemination of this information is not limited to social networks 2236, but can also be transmitted to other networks 2248 and their associated storage 2244. Some examples of these other networks are the department of motor vehicles, local law enforcement, a driver database or rating system, or the like.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, and in cooperation with the image retrieval/notification module 2264, in addition to one or more messages being capable of being sent by the message module 2212, one or more of image and video information can also be exchanged with the one or more of the other vehicles, as well as associates with one or more social networks 2236 other networks 2248.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, car GPS to car GPS communications are enabled in cooperation with the social/business communication module 22004 and the navigation subsystem 2236, as well as the message module 2212 and optionally the filter module 2216.

More specifically, and as an example, if someone is lost on the road and does not know the way to specific destination, GPS information from the navigation subsystem 336 of a person in route, or already at the destination, may be feed to the lost individual. For example, the lost individual may post information to one or more social networks 2236 indicating that they are going from destination A to destination B, and that they are lost, and are requesting the assistance of any other drivers who may be taking that same route. The message module 2212, can, for example, in cooperation with a filter module 2216, monitor the one or more social networks for messages such as the above from the lost individual. Assuming the user has not set up preferences where those types of messages are filtered by the filter module 2216, the social/business communication module 2204 is able to cooperate with the navigation subsystem 336, and optionally information from other sources, such as weather information, traffic information, safe route information, and the like, to respond to the individual that is lost via the social network 2236. Optionally, or alternatively, communications can be established between the vehicle 104 and the lost individual, and information regarding assisting the lost driver to their destination can be sent directly to the lost individual at their vehicle via one or more communication networks 224.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, and if one driver is responding to a lost driver in a scenario similar to that discussed above, and, for example, the driver of at the destination posts information on the social network 2236 recommending a desired course to get the lost driver to the destination, this message can be vetted by one or more navigation networks 2252, to ensure that there are no impediments to the suggested route for the lost driver. For example, the navigation networks 2252 can include information from, for example, one or more local law enforcement agencies, weather bureaus, traffic information sources, and the like, and if, for example, the recommended route is now blocked for some reason, the navigation network 2252 can post supplemental information to the social networks 2236 further specifying an alternative or modification to the recommended route based on, for example, one or more of traffic conditions, weather, or the like. This updating of the recommended information to the social network 2236 can optionally be pushed or otherwise communicated to the individual that is lost such that they are apprised of the latest information to assist them with arriving at their destination—and optionally automatically directly integrated into their navigation system.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, and in cooperation with the discussed elements as well as the safety module 2260, a vehicle may communicate with at least one other vehicle to notify them of a dangerous situation, such as you are approaching each other in the fog, turn on your lights and make sure to stay in your lane. Danger warnings can be similarly shared between vehicles, such as if the other vehicle is behaving erratically, swerving, tailgating, or the like. As will be discussed, various information from one or more of the vehicle control system 204, message module 2212, navigation subsystem 336, social/business communication module 2204 as well as the vehicle detection module 2232 and optionally one or more navigation networks 2252 can be used to assist with vehicle to vehicle safety and traffic communications.

In accordance with another example, a user may be traveling along a highway in a vehicle, when the vehicle through one or more sensors, detects that the traction in a particular area is low. This low traction may be associated with ice if the vehicle detects a low temperature that can indicate ice may be present. Additionally, or alternatively, the vehicle may make use of fluid sensors to determine that the low tractions related to a fluid presence on the road. In any event, the vehicle may record the location, and in cooperation with the navigation subsystem 336, and in some instances, optionally communicate the indication of the low traction surface to one or more of one or more other vehicles, the navigation networks 2252, a traffic control system, and other road monitoring entity, such as the department of transportation, a traffic application, a road maintenance division, or the like, and can also post the information on, for example, a social network 2236 that is associated with users discussing traveling and/or road conditions. As can be appreciated, the various vehicle sensors may be used to detect any combination of emergency and/or safety conditions, such as pot holes, rough surfaces, glass on the road, objects on the road, fog, foreign objections, accidents, or the like. More specifically, and accordance with another optional embodiment, and in cooperation with the image retrieval/notification module 2264, the vehicle is also capable of capturing one or more of an image or video of the dangerous situation, and depending the message from the message module 2212, this information can similarly be sent from the vehicle 104 to one or more destinations, such as the navigation network 2252 and social network 2236. Once this information is associated with one or more destinations, such as a social network 2236 or navigation network 2252 and/or directly with another vehicle that may be proximate to or approaching the hazard, this information can optionally be accessible by one or more of the other vehicles 2220-2228 to assist with notifying them of potentially dangerous situations. For example, one or more of the other vehicles 2220-2228 can have a navigation subsystem that is able to query the navigation network 2252 and/or social network 2236 and ask either of these systems whether or not there are any dangerous conditions along the intended route or direction of travel. One or both of these networks could then answer that query and provide the user information, and/or images/video about the dangerous situation, as well as optionally provide alternatives for avoiding the dangerous situation.

In some optional embodiments, the vehicle 104 may identify safety hazards/conditions by associating the conditions with a map and/or GPS display in cooperation with the navigation subsystem 336. For example, in the previous example, the vehicle may determine to send the information relating to the low fraction area to one or more other GPS and/or maps displays. In one scenario, the map displays warnings associated with an area that is identified as having low traction. This information can optionally be stored in the navigation network 2252 and the stored data 2256. The low traction area can be shown graphically via the display of the vehicle 104, and in conjunction with, for example, the navigation system. It is anticipated that the warning could be provided to a user, and/or other vehicle, in advance of the user/other vehicle reaching the area with this warning being provided one or more of audibly and visually. In accordance with an optional embodiment, this information may be sent directly from the vehicle 104 to the other vehicles in close proximity. For example, when vehicle 104 traveling down the road encounters a very bad stretch of road that requires users to slow down, the vehicle 104 can communication this information to oncoming vehicles in conjunction with the vehicle detection module 2232 and the message module 2212. Additionally, or alternatively, and as previously discussed, this information may be sent to one or more remote servers and/or services and/or networks, such as the social network 2236, navigation network 2252, or other network 2248, which may be associated with, for example, the local department of transportation. As will be appreciated, one or more other vehicles may be able to access this information and provide the information to their respective drivers.

As briefly discussed above, the vehicle 104, in cooperation with the image retrieval/notification module 2264, and in cooperation with one or more of the message module 2212, filter module 2216, and vehicle and/or user communication device, may determine, receive, detect, and/or ascertain one or more traffic events, conditions, or combinations thereof, or the like, that may exist along a particular route, and in response, retrieve one or more (static or dynamic) images or videos from cameras along the route. For instance, a user may be traveling along a road on a way to a particular destination, when a road/lane closure causes traffic to slow down and/or become congested. In this example, the traffic condition may trigger the retrieval of images from one or more cameras within a certain proximity to the road/lane closure and/or the vehicle, e.g., using GPS coordinate information. The images may be retrieved from roadside cameras, vehicle cameras, other vehicles' cameras, and/or other image sensors in proximity to the condition. As discussed herein, these images can be shared on one or more of the social networks, other networks and navigation networks 2252, as wells as, or alternatively, with one or more other vehicles 2220-2228. As will be appreciated, the sending and/or retrieving these images and/or video can be filtered in cooperation with the filter module 2216 that can be based on, for example, user preferences, privacy settings, or the like. Depending on the nature of the image/video being captured, the image/video may be sent to one or more other destinations, in cooperation with the safety module 2260.

For example, information regarding a traffic accident is captured, and in cooperation with the safety module 2260, this information can be sent to, for example, the local law enforcement agency and/or insurance company, or the like. More specifically, the vehicle detection module 2232 is capable of interrogating and determining the identity of the one or more other vehicles and/or users that may be associated with the particular condition. This information can be appended or otherwise associated to the captured images/video, which may then be usable by, for example, local law enforcement to assist them with accidence reconstruction, contacting parties involved in the accident, or in general for any purpose.

In accordance with an optional embodiment, the image retrieval/notification module 2264 can cooperate with another entity, such as a department of transportation, with the department of transportation utilizing image retrieval/notification module 2264 in one or more user's vehicles to be the “eyes and ears” of the department of transportation. For example, a user can agree to cooperate with a local department of transportation and capture information regarding road conditions, safety issues, road repairs, traffic conditions, or the like, with this information optionally being reportable to, for example, the department of transportation to assist them with road maintenance, repairs, traffic flow, or in general any function associated with the department. In accordance with one optional embodiment, the image retrieval/notification module 2264 cooperates with the navigation subsystem 336 to obtain image and/or video and/or sensor information at specific locations as requested by, for example, an entity such as the department of transportation. As will be appreciated, the other entity, such as the department of transportation is optionally able to specify what types of information they would like, which can include any type of information from any of the sensors associated with the vehicle 104, as well as image information as discussed. Since it is envisioned that multiple vehicles 104 can be collecting these types of information for the entity, the entity, such as the department of transportation, with this “distributed network” of information-gathers can advantageously provide more comprehensive, accurate, and real-time information than was previously allowed.

Expanding upon this concept, information from the navigation subsystem 336 can also be shared with, for example, the navigation network 2252, such that real-time traffic-flow information is provided to the navigation network, with the navigation network 2252 capable of updating their servers with highly accurate, real-time traffic speeds from one or more vehicles. As will be appreciated, in conjunction with the speed information, image information can optionally also be associated with this message sent to the navigation network 2252 in cooperation with the image retrieval module 2264, with the image information optionally being storable in the image database 2268. The information on the navigation network 225, is then shareable with one or more other users/other vehicles such as vehicles 2220-2228.

FIG. 23 outlines additional optional elements that can be associated with vehicle 104. In particular, these optional elements can include a presence detection/alert module 2312, an individual communications module 2316, an infant monitor/prediction module 2308, and infant profile data 2304. In accordance with one optional embodiment, and in cooperation with a presence detection/alert module 2312, and optionally in cooperation with one or more of the vehicles sensors 242, 236, 340, and the like, the one or more sensors may be used to identify the presence of police or emergency vehicles to assist users in avoiding certain areas due to block roads, road accidents, the R.I.D.E. program, or the like. In general, the presence detection/alert module 2312 is able to alert the user and/or one or more other users of approaching police or emergency vehicles, or of the location of police or emergency vehicles. As discussed in accordance with the above embodiments, this information can be shared with one or more of the social networks 2236, other networks 2248, and navigations networks, 2252, which is then shareable and accessible by one or more other vehicles/users.

In the context of parking, the presence detection/alert module 2312, is able to cooperate with one or more vehicle sensors and optionally with one or more networks, such as the navigation network 2252, to identify open parking spaces ahead or down streets in the vicinity of the intended destination. In accordance with one embodiment, the navigation networks 2252, and/or other vehicles 2220-2228, in cooperation with their respective vehicle sensors, are able to determine where parking spots are available, with this information shareable between vehicles and/or the navigation network 2252, with this information communicable to the vehicle that is seeking a parking space. As will be appreciated, information regarding the availability, or non-availability, of parking can be communicated to a user via one or more of the video I/O interface 864 and audio I/O interface 874. As one example, parking meters can transmit a signal indicating if the meter is paid up. if the meter is not aid up, an assumption can be made that the parking spot may be vacant. In a more sophisticated embodiment, parking meters can be equipped with a sensor to determine if a vehicle is parked in the associated spot. Information regarding the presence of a vehicle can then be communicated to one or more vehicles and/or a central data repository that is queryable by one or more vehicles to determine parking spot availability. For example, a message can be sent to the central repository requesting parking spot availability within 1/16 of a mile of a specific GPS coordinate associated with the vehicle. The central repository can respond with information/directions to the available parking spot, with this information optionally populatable in the vehicle's navigation system—such as represented by an icon.

In conjunction with another optional embodiment, and the context of toll booths, one or more sensors may be used to identify routes, such as in cooperation with the navigation subsystems discussed herein, to avoid specific routes that include toll booths along the route. This information regarding presence of toll booths can also be communicated to the user one or more of audibly and visually, such as via the vehicle's navigation interface.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, the one or more vehicle sensors 242, 236, 340, or the like, may detect the presence of an individual outside or in close proximity to the vehicle, and optionally obtain data relating to the individual for example by querying their communication device. The vehicle 104 may detect one or more signals sent from sensors that may include, but are not limited to, vehicle sensors, non-vehicle sensors, sensors associated with a user's device, such as a cell phone, tablet, smart phone, or the like, a wearable sensor, biometric devices, such as a heart rate monitor, health monitor, health and/or activity sensor, oxygen level sensor, diabetes sensor, or the like. For example, an individual who is walking into a cross-walk may have a wearable sensor that indicates information such as the individual's presence and/or statistics. This information can also include individual specific information, such as the user may be deaf and/or blind, is elderly, or the like, with this information communicable to the vehicle 104, and in particular to the presence detection/alert module 2312.

In response, the vehicle in cooperation with the presence detection/alert module and one or more of the video I/O interface 864 and audio I/O interface 874 may communicate a warning, alert, or other notification to a user in the vehicle regarding the presence of the detected individual in, for example, the cross-walk, in close proximity or in the direction of travel. In an optional embodiment, the individual in the cross-walk can be made aware of the presence of the vehicle through a similar communication and appropriately notified to assist them with potentially avoiding an unwanted collision or an accident.

In accordance with one optional embodiment, and to assist with individual privacy, certain individuals may have associated with, for example, their communication device, a detectable signal that is a generic indicator specifying one or more types of medical conditions. The detectable signal representing these one or more medical conditions can be detected by the one or more vehicle sensors, and upon a correlation to the information in the individual communications module 2316, this information usable to determine, for example, that an individual is impaired, handicapped, has a specific medical condition, or the like. Through this generic type of messaging system, information regarding an individual's particular impairment can be discoverable by a vehicle 104, without the presence detection/alert module 2312 actually needing to specifically interrogate the device associated with that user.

In a similar manner, this information can be obtainable from one or more other users within the proximity of the vehicle 104. For example, if there is a learner driver, or a handicapped driver, in the proximity of the vehicle 104, the various vehicle sensors, in cooperation with the presence detection/alert module 2312, is capable of interrogating this information (assuming no privacy or other filters have prohibited the action) with the interrogatable information presentable to the user, e.g., driver, via audibly and/or visually. This can assist with, for example, a driver's understanding of other drivers/users/people in the area, and may also assist with drivers predicatively avoiding what could become a challenging or dangerous situation.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, and in cooperation with the presence detection/alert module 2312, the infant monitor/prediction module 2308, one or more vehicle sensors, and optionally the vehicle profile data 2304, a routine can be run that is in communication with the various sensors, such as wearable sensors, vehicle mounted sensors, child mounted sensors, or the like, that are configured to inform one or more users of various statistics relating to an infant passenger. Examples of these statistics may include, but are not limited to, whether a diaper has been soiled, a baby is crying, frequency of breathing, fidgeting and movement, any biometric information, overall health, whether the baby is awake/asleep, and the like. Additionally, or alternatively, the application may track how many diapers a user is expected to go through over a period of time and recommend how many diapers to buy in advance, how often, and where to purchase the diapers at, for example, a discounted or sale price, for the trip. As will be appreciated, this information can be dynamic based on feedback and information received from the one or more vehicle sensors about the infant with the prediction module 2308 further capable of storing any of this information in the infant profile data 2304. As discussed, this infant profile data, 2304 can be used to assist with the user in preparing for future trips and/or on assisting with the well-being of an infant or child.

As will be appreciated, various types of information associated with this embodiment can be shared with one or more other users, such as a user at a remote destination, and in conjunction with other elements discussed herein, a message can be sent to, for example, and individual at the destination indicating that the infant needs a diaper change, is hungry, and is currently asleep. For example, this information could be communicated to the user's home, such that someone at the home could prepare whatever is necessary to deal with an infant in this particular state.

In accordance with an optional embodiment, various information from the sensors can used in cooperation with the prediction module 2308 and optionally an advertising module (not shown) such that based on one or more of the detected states/conditions of the infant, targeted advertising can be sent to the user audibly and/or visually, to assist the user with caring for that infant. This can optionally be coupled with navigation and/or GPS information, to assist the user with navigating their way to a location which perhaps sells a service and/or product to assist with the infant's care.

FIG. 24 outlines an exemplary method for virtual personality use. In particular, control begins in step S2400 and continues to step S2404. In step S2404, a virtual personality is established. Next, in step S2408, one or more user's profile data can optionally be assessed, and the virtual personality determine therefrom. However, it should be appreciated, that the virtual personality can be created independent of the one or more user's profile data. Next, in step S2412, and based on one or more of rules, laws, and preferences, it is determined whether the virtual personality should be used as the primary communication personality. As discussed, and for example, if utilizing a communication device, such as a smart phone, while driving is prohibited in the particular jurisdiction or location that the vehicle is located, a rule could specify that a virtual personality is to be used as the primary communication personality and/or modality. Control then continues to step S2416.

In step S2416, a determination is made as to whether a communication should be sent or is being received. If a communication is not being sent or received, control continues to step S2420 where the control sequence ends. Otherwise, control continues to step S2424.

In step S2424, a determination is made as to whether the virtual personality should be used for communication. If the virtual personality is not to be used for communication, control continues to step S2428 where the communication is sent and/or received using, for example, one or more of the user's personalities associated with the vehicle. Control then continues to step S2432 where the control sequence ends.

If a virtual personality is to be used for communication, control continues to step S2436 where the communication is sent and/or received using the virtual personality. Control then continues to step S2440 where the control sequence ends. As discussed, this communication could optionally include an identifier to assist the recipient with understanding that the communication is from a virtual personality.

FIG. 25 outlines an exemplary method of updating one or more of software and firmware. In particular, control begins in steps S2500 and continues to step S2504. In step S2504, the current version of the software/firmware is determined. Next, in step S2508, a determination as made as to whether an update is available. If an update is not available, control continues to step S2512, with control otherwise jumping to step S2516.

In step S2516, the update for the software/firmware is acquired from one or more of the source and another vehicle. As discussed, the vehicle can establish inter-vehicle communications with one or more other vehicles, and download all or a part of the software/firmware update from one or more of a plurality of sources as they are available. Next, in step S2520, the software/firmware update can optionally be relayed to other vehicles that are within range, optionally based on one or more of an inquiry and/or push. As will be appreciated, the software/firmware update can be relayed in whole or in part the with the software/firmware update being obtainable from a plurality of sources and also disseminateable to a plurality of other vehicles. Control then continues to step S2524 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 26 outlines an exemplary method for inter-vehicle communications and sending out of a dangerous situation alert. In particular, control begins in step S2600 and continues to step S2604. In step S2604, the inter-vehicle communications mode is enabled based on, for example, one or more user preferences, the type of dangerous situation, one or more filters, or the like. Next, in step S2608, a determination is made as to whether another vehicle is in range. If another vehicle is not in range, control continues to step S2612 where the control sequence ends. Otherwise, control jumps to step S2616.

In step S2616, communications are established between a vehicle and one or more other vehicles. As discussed, any type of communications protocol or modality can be utilized to establish one or two-way communications between the vehicle and the one or more other vehicles. Next, in step S2620, the communication is determined and assembled. Then, in step S2624, the determined communication is sent and/or received between the vehicle and the one or more other vehicles that the vehicle is in communication with. Control then continues with step S2628.

In step S2628, one or more filters are optionally applied to incoming or outgoing communications based on, for example, user preferences, content of the message, or the like. Next, in step S2632, a dangerous situation alert can optionally be sent out to one or more vehicles that the vehicle is in communication with. In step S2632, this dangerous situation alert can optionally be associated with location information and sent to another entity, such as a remote location, social network, department of transportation, law enforcement agency, or in general to any remote location to alert of them of the dangerous situation. As will be appreciated, and depending on the nature of the dangerous situation, this task could be performed automatically, such that, for example, local law enforcement is notified without necessary requiring user input as soon as the dangerous situation is encountered. Control then continues to step S2640 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 27 outlines an exemplary method for vehicle-to-vehicle GPS communications. In particular, control begins in step S2700 and continues to step S2704. In step S2704, vehicle-to-vehicle GPS communication mode is initialized. Next, in step S2708, a determination is made as to whether to exchange and/or forward GPS information. If GPS information is not to be exchanged or forwarded, for example, there is a rule or user preference prohibiting the exchange or forwarding of information, or if there is no communication service available to exchange or forward the GPS information, control continues to step S2712 where the control sequence ends. As will be appreciated, if there is a desire to exchange or forward GPS information, but a communication service is not available, it should be appreciated that the system can store this information and send it when service becomes available. If the determination is made to exchange and/or forward GPS information, control continues to step S2716.

In step S2716, one or more permissions, rules, and privacy settings can optionally be checked before the forwarding/exchanging of GPS information. Next, in step S2720, GPS information to be exchanged/forwarded is assembled into a message. Then, in step S2724, a communication is established with at least one other vehicle for the exchange/forwarding of the GPS information. As will be appreciated, this exchange of GPS information is not limited to simple GPS coordinates, but can also include route information, direction information, as well as route or direction of information that can be updated or supplemented based on, for example, traffic conditions, weather conditions, or other input from one or more entities, such as a department of transportation, or the like, as shown in step S2728. Control then continues to step S2732 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 28 outlines an exemplary method for detecting and reporting one or more conditions. In particular, control begins in step S2800 and continues to step S2804. In step S2804, one or more conditions are detected in cooperation with one or more of the vehicles sensors, the vehicle camera, and/or user input. Control then continues to step S2808.

In step S2808, a determination is made as to whether the detected condition should be reported. If the detected condition should not be reported, control continues to step S2812. For example, one or more of filters, preferences, and user input can be utilized to determine whether or not a condition should be reported. It should appreciated however that depending on the nature of the condition, the condition may be determined to be a safety or emergency type of situation, in which case, the condition can optionally be automatically reported to one or more other entities as discussed herein. If the condition is to be reported on, control jumps to step S2816.

In step S2816, the location of the detected condition can optionally be determined, for example, through one or more of user input and information from the navigation system, and in step S2820, this location information associated with the detected condition. Next, in step S2824, the proximity and/or route of one or more other vehicles can optionally be determined, and this detected condition and location information forwarded to the one or more other vehicles to notify them of the detected condition and/or help them avoid a dangerous situation. As will be appreciated, the forwarding of the detected condition and location information is not limited to only being sent to other vehicles, but can also could be sent to one or more other destinations, such as a social network, other network, navigation server, department of transportation, law enforcement agency, first responders, emergency services, and/or in general to any one or more locations. Control then continues to step S2828.

In step S2828, the system can optionally automatically or manually acquire one or more of video and image information associated with the detected condition. This audio, video and/or image information can optionally be forwarded, as discussed above, to any one or more destinations such as other vehicles, servers, entities, or the like. Next, in step 2832, the detected condition information can optionally be supplemented with one or more of a textual, audible, and visual alert information with this information being displayable to, for example, other drivers, other entities, and/or recognized and saved by one or more servers. Control then continues to step S2836 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 29 outlines exemplary method detecting one or more emergency vehicles. In particular, control begins in step S2900 and continues to step S2904. In step S2904, one or more emergency vehicles can be detected. This detection can be based on input received from a microphone, input received from a camera, based on a signal being emitted from the emergency vehicle, based on a communication being sent from the emergency vehicle to vehicles within a certain proximity thereof, or in general can be based on any technique or methodology for detecting an emergency vehicle. Next, in step S2908, a vehicle user can be one or more audibly and/or visually notified of the presence of an emergency vehicle. Optionally, the driver can be provided with a recommendation of a route to take to assist with avoiding and approaching emergency vehicle. For example, on a congested road, the emergency vehicle may broadcast a message requesting users to pull to the right hand side of the road, to assist with the emergency vehicle passing on the left hand side. Control then continues to steps S2912 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 30 outlines an exemplary method of locating parking spaces. In particular, control begins in step S3000 and continues to step S3004. In step S3004, one or more available parking spaces are detected. As discussed, the availability of parking spaces can be based on information received from one or more other vehicles, a central parking space database, one or more sensors on the vehicle itself, or the like. Next, in step S3008, the user, such as the driver, can optionally be notified one or more of audibly and visually about the availability of parking spaces. Then, in step S3012, the user can optionally be provided with instructions for how to navigate to the one or more available parking spots. The one or more available parking spots can also be supplemented with information such as whether the parking spot is at a paid meter, an inside garage, a free space on the city street, or the like. As will be appreciated, in step S3016, should the availability of parking space change, the user can be updated with this information and optionally provided with additional navigation instructions to help them find a next available parking space. Control then continues to step S3012 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 31 outlines an exemplary method for managing toll roads during navigation. In particular, control begins in step S3100 and continues to step S3104. In step S3104, the expected route is determined. Next, in step S3108, it is determined whether there are toll roads that expected to be encountered on the expected route. Then, in step S3112, and based on one or more of a user profile, and user input, it is determined whether toll roads are to be avoided and/or there use minimized. Depending on the determination in step S3112, in step S3116, a user's route can optionally be updated to one or more of avoid and minimize toll route usage. Control then continues to step S3120 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 32 outlines an exemplary method for detecting an individual. In particular, control begins in step S3200 and continues to step S3204. In step S3204, the presence of one or more individuals is detected. As discussed, this can be based on input from one or more vehicle sensors, and interrogation of individuals' communications devices, or in general, based on any known or later developed technique for detecting the presence of an individual proximate to a vehicle. Next, in step S3208, a determination is made whether the detected individual is a known individual. If the detected individual is not a known individual, control continues to step S3212, with control otherwise jumping to step S3228.

In step S3212, it is optionally determined whether or not a collision is possible or imminent between the detected individual(s) and a vehicle. Next, in step S3216, one or more of the vehicle, such as the driver, and the individual are notified of this possible collision. As discussed, the driver can be notified one or more of audibly and/or visually, and in a similar manner, the individual can be notified via audibly, visually, or through mechanical feedback, such as a vibration on their communications device. In accordance with one optional embodiment, one or more of the vehicle and communication devices associated with the individual, can be equipped with a special “accident avoidance” routine which allows the exchange of communications, such as those discussed herein, to assist with avoiding vehicle/individual collisions. As will be appreciated, this routine can optionally take precedence/override over any user preferences/rules may be set on the vehicle and/or personal communication device. Control then continues to step 3224 where the control sequence ends.

In step S3228, operation can optionally be updated based on the fact that the detected individual is a known individual. For example, if the detected individual is a known individual, personal information can optionally be included with any messaging exchanged between the vehicle and the individual. For example, a user backing out of their garage could be notified that Jane (their daughter) is playing behind the vehicle and to stop immediately. Next, and continuing with the scenario, in step S3232, a determination is made as to whether a collision or other event is possible. Then, in step S3236, one or more of the vehicle and the detected individual is notified of the possible collision and/or event. As will be appreciated, this information can be optionally updated at regular intervals, for example in real-time, to assist with vehicle to person collision avoidance. Also, and in conjunction with the vehicle control module, one or more vehicle controls could also be automatically activated such as the actuation of the brakes. Control then continues to step S3234 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 33 outlines an exemplary method for infant monitoring. In particular, control begins in step S3300. Next, in step S3304, infant monitoring commences. Then, in step S3308, information from one or more sensors is optionally obtained. As discussed, these sensors can be associated with one or more of the vehicle, and the infant themselves, and can include one or more of biometric information, audible information, visual information, and physical information, such as that the infant is wet. Then, in step S3312, analysis can be performed and optionally reconciled with one or more rules to determine whether to notify one or more users associated with a vehicle about the data received from the one or more sensors. As will be appreciated, user can establish preferences to determine what type of sensor information they should be alerted to, and also a communication modality that is to be used for sensor information that is to be reported to them. For example, it is determined that the infant is sleeping, the user may choose to be notified visually, for example, on the vehicle display, that the infant is sleeping. However, if the infant is awake, and has a wet diaper, this information could be communicated to one or more of the users associated with the vehicle audibly. Control then continues to step S3316.

In step S3316, a determination is made as to whether a notification should go to one or more the users about the detected condition. If the detected condition is not to be notified to one or more users, control continues to step S3320 where a determination is made as to whether monitoring of the infant should end. If monitoring of the infant is not to end, control returns to step S3308, with control otherwise continuing to step S3328 where the control sequence ends.

In step S3332, and when a user is to be notified, the notification is prepared and forwarded to an appropriate destination. As will be appreciated, and in conjunction with the user preferences/rules, and in addition to the type of notification and whether any supplemental information, such as a picture, is to be set with the notification, the user can also specify to which one or more destinations the notification is to be sent. For example, and depending on the type of detected condition, the notification can be sent to, for example, the driver, as well as an individual at the driver's home. As will be appreciated, the communication modality used for this communication can be any type of communication modality, and it can be forwarded via one or more of the vehicle's communication device and the user's device. Next, in step S3336, the system is optionally able to dynamically determine one or more recommendations based on the monitoring. These recommendations can include, for example, advertising, prediction regarding supplies, average amount of supplies that will be needed for the trip that is programmed into the navigation system, and the like. Again these recommendations can be sent to one or more users or other destinations, and can similarly be associated with one or more of images, audio, and video, of the monitored infant(s). Control then continues to step S3340 where the control sequences ends.

Methods and Systems for the Detection and Relay of Emergency and Safety Signals:

Embodiments of the present disclosure include detecting signals emanating outside of a vehicle interior 108 and presenting information relating to those signals to at least one user inside the vehicle 104. For example, vehicles are becoming increasingly soundproof to most environmental and/or external noises. This soundproofing can be achieved by using special composites, dampened panels, acoustic material, specially configured glass, and the like, in vehicle construction. While this soundproofing may offer a comfortable and quiet ride, certain important sounds (e.g., emergency vehicles, horns, sirens, etc.) and/or signals (e.g., alarms, warnings, etc.) may not be able to penetrate the soundproofing. As such, a user inside a traditional vehicle may be ignorant of important warnings that are conveyed by sounds or other signal emanating outside of the vehicle.

Signals:

Emergency and/or safety signals can include, but are not limited to, acoustic, auditory, wireless signals, visual signals, and/or combinations thereof. Typical acoustic and/or auditory signals may include one or more of sirens, horns, alarms, bells, whistles, sounds having a frequency, intensity, and/or duration above or below a predetermined threshold, and the like. In some cases, the acoustic signals may be undetectable by the human ear but can be detected via one or more sensors associated with a vehicle 104 and/or communication device. For example, an emergency siren may be acoustically configured to operate at various acoustic pitches, patterns, intervals, and/or intensities. In some embodiments, this acoustic configuration may be common to a type of emergency signal source (e.g., a vehicle, alert system, wireless communication, etc.), indicate an urgency level (e.g., fast intervals may indicate higher urgency, while slow intervals in produced sound may indicate lower urgency, and vice versa), convey information (e.g., within the acoustic signal, etc.), and the like.

The acoustic and/or audible signal may identify a type of emergency event associated with the signal. For instance, certain impacts, explosions, implosions, crashes, and/or other sound-producing events can be associated with an acoustic profile. Among other things, the acoustic profile can include information related to the sound-producing event. By way of example, the acoustic profile may be represented as a graph plotting sound intensity over time. The graph may include a best-fit curve that is generated based on at least one mathematical function selected to fit the information related to the sound-producing event. Additionally or alternatively, the information may be represented as a digital data set. In any event, the acoustic profiles may be stored in a memory associated with the vehicle.

Once an acoustic signal is detected via one or more sensors associated with the vehicle, an alert module 2312 may determine whether the detected signal corresponds to an acoustic profile stored in memory. This determination may include comparing characteristics, such as sound intensity, peak values, intervals of sound, duration of sounds, graphical profile, and the like associated with the detected signal to the information of the acoustic profiles stored. When a match exists, the alert module 2312 can positively identify the detected signal as a particular type of emergency. It should be appreciated that determining a match may not require exact values to be matched. In fact, the alert module 2312 may be able to determine that a match exists by comparing various portions of the information associated with the signal to portions of the acoustic profiles stored. This comparison may include treating deviations that fall within a predetermined threshold as acceptable to make a positive identification of an emergency type.

Wireless signals may refer to signals generated by an emergency source and conveyed by or to at least one receiver via a wireless communications protocol and/or broadcast. Examples of wireless communications can include, but are in no way limited to, IR, RF, Wi-Fi, electric signaling, satellite communications, radio broadcast, line-of-sight communications, AMBER Alerts™, Emergency Alert System (EAS) alerts, National Weather Service (NWS) alerts, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) alerts, etc., and/or any other broadcast alerts or signals. The wireless signals may be configured to include a variety of information. For instance, the wireless signals may include information that identifies a source of the signal, an emergency type, vehicle control instructions, location information, destination information, estimated time of arrival, etc., and/or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the emergency and/or safety signals may be send using visual communications. Visual signals can include, but are not limited to, lights, strobes, IR, laser, etc., and/or characteristics associated therewith. For example, light characteristics may include information relating to color or wavelength, intensity, frequency, duration, cycling information, etc., and/or combinations thereof. Similar to the acoustic profile for acoustic sound-producing events, visual signals can be associated with a visual profile. Among other things, the visual profile can include information related to the visual signals. By way of example, the visual profile may be represented as a graph plotting light intensity and/or color over time. This graph may include a best-fit curve that is generated based on at least one mathematical function selected to fit the information related to the visual signal. Additionally or alternatively, the information may be represented as a digital data set. In any event, the visual profiles may be stored in a memory associated with the vehicle.

In one example, light emitted from a police car emergency lighting may cycle from red, to white, to blue, and so on. The color cycling of the emergency lighting can be considered at least a portion of the visual profile. In one case, the cycling may define a rate representing the time it takes to repeat a pattern of light emitted. As provided above, the rate of cycling may be used by an emergency source to indicate an urgency level associated with the signal. Continuing this example, the sensors of a vehicle 104 (e.g., image sensors, cameras, etc.) may be configured to detect the light from the police car and an alert module 2312 may determine whether the detected signal corresponds to a visual profile stored in memory. This determination may include comparing characteristics, such as light intensity, peak values, intervals between light emitted, duration that light is emitted, graphical profile, and the like associated with the detected signal to the information of the visual profiles stored. When a match exists, the alert module 2312 can positively identify the detected signal as a particular type of emergency. It should be appreciated that determining a match may not require exact values to be matched. In fact, the alert module 2312 may be able to determine that a match exists by comparing various portions of the information associated with the signal to portions of the visual profiles stored. This comparison may include treating deviations that fall within a predetermined threshold as acceptable to make a positive identification of an emergency type.

Signaling Entities:

The various emergency and/or safety signals disclosed herein may be generated and/or relayed by one or more signaling entities. Signaling entities may include one or more vehicles, alert systems, radio towers, wireless communication modules, emergency dispatch system, traffic control system, servers, and/or any other module configured to generate at least one of the signals. In one embodiment, a signal source (e.g., an emergency signal source, etc.) may be a server, and one or more signaling entities may be configured to relay a signal generated by the signal source (e.g., via vehicles, cell towers, communication modules, etc.). Although an emergency and/or safety signal may be initially generated by an emergency source, it should be appreciated that the emergency and/or safety signal can be relayed by at least one other signaling entity. In some embodiments, the relaying signal source may not be an originator of the signal, but can act as a signaling entity in a group of one or more signaling entities in an emergency communications network.

In one embodiment, one or more vehicles may be signaling entities. Additionally or alternatively, an emergency or safety signal may be generated by a signal source. Signaling entities and/or signal sources can include, but are not limited to emergency vehicles (e.g., police, fire, ambulance, SWAT, etc.), military vehicles, government vehicles, law enforcement vehicles, safety vehicles, maintenance vehicles, corporate vehicles, group vehicles, private vehicles, and the like. It is anticipated that generating specific emergency and/or safety signals may be restricted to certain vehicles. For instance, an emergency signal configured to clear traffic along a path may be restricted to emergency vehicles, military vehicles, and certain government vehicles. On the other hand, a safety signal configured to warn others of an obstruction in a particular lane of traffic may be unrestricted, such that all types of vehicles can generate the safety signal. As can be appreciated, the generation of specific signals by vehicles can be restricted based at least partially on a number of factors, including governmental authorization, nature of the event, prior abuses of the signal generation, driving record and/or reputation, traffic conditions, GPS location, etc., and/or combinations thereof

Signaling entities, especially emergency signal sources, can include at least one of a tornado alert system, emergency dispatch system, traffic control system, EAS, weather alert system, NWS, AMBER Alerts™ system, FEMA system, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, emergency signal sources may utilize communications equipment, radio towers, wireless communication modules, and/or other communication modules to send an emergency and/or safety signal. Depending on the emergency, the signal source(s) may be selected based on reaching local, regional, and/or an expanded audience. For instance, a local area may be under a flood warning for two hours. While this flood warning may be relevant to those in proximity to the local area (e.g., those in the local area or traveling toward the local area, etc.) the warning would most likely be irrelevant to those outside of the local area (e.g., which can include those traveling out of the local area, etc.). In this example, the signal source(s) and/or other signaling entities are selected to generate signals in proximity to, or within a range of distance from, the local area. Additionally or alternatively, the signal may be associated with an expiration timer corresponding to an expected expiration of the emergency. In this case, when the emergency expires (e.g., the two-hour period associated with the flood warning) the signal may also expire (e.g., any relay, or generation, of the signal may be terminated at or about the emergency expiration time, etc.).

Other signaling entities may include, but are not limited to, devices associated with a school zone, school crossing, school bus, construction zone, railroad crossing, crosswalk, animal crossing, playground, an area associated with one or more people having disabilities and/or impairments (e.g., a hearing impairments, physical disabilities, mental handicaps, and the like), etc., and/or combinations thereof. By way of example, a school zone may include a signal light, sign, or other indication of the school zone. The sign may be configured to flash the signal light and/or emit a sound at specific times, when children are present, or in response to an input detected. Additionally or alternatively, the sign may include a communications module that is configured to generate a signal for detection via one or more wireless receivers.

Detection of Signals:

The signals disclosed herein can be detected by one or more sensors, communication modules, and/or detection systems. In some embodiments, the one or more sensors, communication modules, and/or detection systems can be associated with a vehicle 104. For instance, at least one of the components of the vehicle, such as those described in conjunction with the vehicle control system 204, sensor/sensor subsystems 340, the communication subsystems 344, etc., may be adapted to detect the signals. As can be appreciated sound signals and/or other audio signals may be detected via one or more microphones 886 associated with the vehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, light signals may be detected via one or more of the image sensors, or cameras 878, associated with the vehicle 104.

In some embodiments, the vehicle 104 may receive and/or detect a signal communicated via at least one signal source or signaling entity. Among other things, this signal may be generated or relayed from a signal source and/or signaling entity. Other systems and/or devices associated with the vehicle may be configured to receive and/or detect emergency and/or safety signals. These systems and/or devices may include radar detectors, GPS/Navigation subsystems 336, servers 228, communications modules (e.g., radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, NFC, wireless Ethernet, point-to-point communications, etc.) transducers (e.g., pressure, light, etc.) microphones, cameras (e.g., image sensors, still image capture sensors, video image sensors, etc.), combinations thereof, and the like.

For example, a vehicle 104 may be traveling along a road approaching a crosswalk. As the vehicle 104 comes within a signaling range of the crosswalk, a device associated with the crosswalk may emit a safety signal configured to alert vehicles within the range of the crosswalk. The device associated with the crosswalk may be at least one of a light, speaker, communications module configured to send a wireless signal, and/or combinations thereof. The vehicle 104 may detect the safety signal using one or more sensors associated with the vehicle 104. In one example, an image sensor of the vehicle 104 may determine that a light is flashing and the alert module 2312 may determine that this flashing light is associated with a crosswalk safety signal. In another example, a microphone of the vehicle 104 may receive a sound emitted from the crosswalk device. In this case, the alert module 2312 may determine that the sound is associated with a crosswalk safety signal. In yet another example, a communications module of the vehicle 104 may receive a wireless signal sent from the device associated with the crosswalk. Upon receiving the signal, the alert module 2312 may analyze the signal and determine information relevant to the signal. This information may include the source of the signal, the signal type, the distance to the signal, and any other information pertinent to detection and/or presentation.

In one example, a vehicle 104 may be traveling along a road where an emergency vehicle is fast approaching the vehicle 104. While the emergency vehicle may be emitting emergency signals, at least in the form of light and sound, the operator of the vehicle may not notice the emitted emergency signals (e.g., due to a soundproof cabin of the vehicle, loud music playing, distraction, or some other reason). Similar to the examples provided above, the vehicle 104 can detect the signals emitted from the emergency vehicle and determine that the signals are associated with the emergency vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, the signal may include additional information that can be used in presenting an alert to the operator of a vehicle via at least one device of the vehicle 104. For instance, the additional information may include the emergency type, speed of the emergency vehicle, direction of the emergency vehicle, expected lane of travel for the emergency vehicle, destination of the emergency vehicle, and/or other information. This additional information may be determined by the alert module 2312 analyzing a pattern, intensity, wavelength, frequency, and/or other characteristic associated with the signal. In one embodiment, the additional information may be included in a header, payload, or footer of a wireless signal. In any event, the information may include vehicle control instructions to actively control one or more features of the vehicle 104 (e.g., pull the vehicle 104 over, slow the vehicle 104, move the vehicle 104 from a lane of traffic, control volume of a radio or multimedia system in the vehicle 104, roll down windows of the vehicle 104, etc.).

Presentation of Detected Emergency Signals:

It is anticipated that once a signal is detected, the signal itself and/or information about the signal may be presented to an operator of a vehicle 104 via the alert module 2312. The presentation may be made in at least one of a visual, acoustic (or audible), and/or tactile (or haptic) form. For instance, presentation can include visually displaying an alert to a display device 212, 248, or other device associated with the vehicle 104. For example, sounds of an emergency vehicle or other signaling entity may be played over a speaker of a communication device paired with a vehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, presentation can include emitting a sound via one or more speakers 880 associated with the vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the presentation can include a vibration or movement of a seat, steering wheel, control feature, or other component/system of a vehicle 104.

Continuing the example above, where an emergency vehicle is approaching the vehicle 104, the alert module 2312 may determine to alert the operator of the vehicle 104 by at least one of displaying a visual alert to the console display of the vehicle 104 (e.g., stating “Emergency Vehicle Approaching—Pull Over to the Right!”, etc.), allowing the sound of the emergency signal to be heard inside the vehicle 104 (e.g., by playing the emergency signal sound, or a sound representing the emergency signal sound, over at least one of the speakers 880 associated with the vehicle 104, etc.), and vibrating the seat of the vehicle 104 at a specific rate or intensity.

In some embodiments, the method of presentation may increase in invasiveness, or interruption, to gradually alert the operator. This gradually increasing approach, can adequately alert the operator without causing panic or unnecessarily startling the operator of a vehicle 104. For example, a visual alert displayed to a device 212, 248 associated with the vehicle 104 may be configured to first get the attention of the operator of the vehicle 104. The operator may indicate that the alert has been received by responding to the alert (e.g., by accepting the alert via user input or selection, operating the vehicle 104 differently than before the alert is received, pulling over, etc.). In the event that the operator is determined to have not responded to the alert, the alert module 2312 may determine to provide a second alert in the form of an acoustic alert via the speakers 880 associated with the vehicle 104. If the operator does not respond to the second alert, the alert module 2312 may determine to present a third alert the operator via a haptic presentation (e.g., by vibrating the seat, etc.). Where an operator continues to ignore, or not respond to, the presentation of one or more of the alerts, the alert module 2312 may instruct the vehicle control system 204 to control at least one feature of the vehicle 104. This control may include pulling the vehicle over to the side of the road, etc.

As will be appreciated, other aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of signal generation, detection, and presentation are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.

FIGS. 34A-D show graphical representations of signals associated with at least one emergency and/or safety signal. Each graphical representation may correspond to a plurality of data points that are associated with a particular signal over time. Although shown as analog graphical representations, it should be appreciated that the signals can be represented by digital graphical representations. Additionally or alternatively, the graphical representations serve to illustrate that each signal can include a number of data points that are associated with a given signal. As such, it should be appreciated that the data points that make up the curves shown on each graph do not necessarily need to be provided, or represented in one or more of the graphical formats as shown. For instance, the alert module 2312 can utilize data points associated with a particular signal to determine a match or correspondence with a detected signal, etc.

In some embodiments, the graphical representations may show a signal intensity (SI) of an emergency and/or safety signal (along the y-axis 3412) plotted versus time (T) (along the x-axis 3408). The signal intensity can include loudness, signal strength, amplitude, pressure, wavelength, and/or some other sensor detectable quantity having a measurable value. Time may be recorded in seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc., combinations thereof, and/or fractions thereof. A logarithmic, or other scale, may be associated with one or more axes 3408, 3412 (e.g., T, SI, etc.) of the graphical representations. As can be appreciated, the signals shown may be linear, exponential, logarithmic, non-linear, combinations thereof, and/or the like.

The graphical representation of each of the signals 3404, 3424, 3432, 3440 can include at least one curve 3420, 3428, 3436, 3444, 3448 corresponding to a function, formula, signal profile, detected signal, and/or a best-fit of data directed to the same. Each graph 3404, 3424, 3432, 3440 shows at least a portion of signal data and may include additional data 3414 over time. In one embodiment, this additional data 3414 may be used in accurately determining an emergency and/or safety signal from detected and/or received signals.

FIG. 34A shows a graphical representation 3404 of a first signal profile 3420 associated with a first type of emergency signal. This first signal profile 3420 may be stored in a memory associated with a vehicle 104. In one embodiment, the memory may be the memory 308 of the vehicle control system 204. In other embodiments, the first signal profile 3420 may be stored in a memory including one or more of system data 208, data storage 320, and/or profile data 252. Among other things, the signal profiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 can be used by the alert module 2312 in determining whether a detected signal matches, or corresponds to, a signal profile 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 stored in memory.

By way of example, the first signal profile 3420 may be associated with an explosion. For instance, an explosion may include a large peak intensity value that is produced over a relatively short period of time, or duration, 3416. As shown, the first signal profile 3420 has a first peak intensity value (P1) between a first time (T1) and a second time (T2). In some embodiments, the first signal profile 3420 can correspond to temperature, pressure, sound, light, etc., and/or combinations thereof. The first signal profile 3420 may include at least one low value, or valley (V1). Other characteristic information may serve to uniquely identify the first signal profile 3420. This other characteristic information can include other peak intensity values (e.g., P2), other valleys, curve shape, curve formula, intermediate data points between peak and valley values, and/or other data associated with the first signal profile 3420.

FIG. 34B shows a graphical representation 3424 of a second signal profile 3428 that is associated with a second type of emergency and/or safety signal. This second signal profile 3428 may be stored in a memory associated with a vehicle 104. In one embodiment, the memory may be the memory 308 of the vehicle control system 204. In other embodiments, the second signal profile 3428 may be stored in a memory including one or more of system data 208, data storage 320, and/or profile data 252. Among other things, the signal profiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 can be used by the alert module 2312 in determining whether a detected signal matches, or corresponds to, a signal profile 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 stored in memory.

For example, the second signal profile 3428 may be associated with an emergency and/or safety alert (e.g., a siren, flashing light, etc.). An emergency and/or safety alert can include cyclic (e.g., sinusoidal, etc.) intensity values over time. As shown, the second signal profile 3428 may have a peak intensity value (P) and a valley intensity value (V) that are substantially similar between recorded time intervals (t1, t2, t3, etc.). In some embodiments, the second signal profile 3428 can correspond to sound, light, etc., and/or combinations thereof. Other characteristic information may serve to uniquely identify the second signal profile 3428. This other characteristic information can include other peak intensity values, other valleys, curve shape, curve formula, intermediate data points between peak and valley values, and/or other data associated with the second signal profile 3428.

FIG. 34C shows a graphical representation 3432 of a third signal profile 3436 that is associated with a third type of emergency and/or safety signal. This third signal profile 3436 may be stored in a memory associated with a vehicle 104. In one embodiment, the memory may be the memory 308 of the vehicle control system 204. In other embodiments, the third signal profile 3436 may be stored in a memory including one or more of system data 208, data storage 320, and/or profile data 252. Among other things, the signal profiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 can be used by the alert module 2312 in determining whether a detected signal matches, or corresponds to, a signal profile 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 stored in memory.

In some embodiments, the third signal profile 3436 may be associated with a particular emergency and/or safety siren. The particular emergency and/or safety siren can include a partially cyclic (e.g., sinusoidal, etc.) set of intensity values over time. As shown, the third signal profile 3436 may have a first peak intensity value (P1) for a first portion 3434 of the signal profile 3436 and a second peak intensity value (P2) for a second portion 3438 of the third signal profile 3436. In some embodiments, the any one or more of the signal profiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448, may include one or more portions having like or different characteristics. In some embodiments, the third signal profile 3436 may correspond to sound emitted by a particular emergency and/or safety siren. Other characteristic information may serve to uniquely identify the third signal profile 3436. This other characteristic information can include other peak intensity values, other valleys, curve shape, curve formula, intermediate data points between peak and valley values, and/or other data associated with the second signal profile 3436.

Although only a limited number of representative signal profiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448, are shown, it should be appreciated that any number of signal profiles can be stored in memory and associated with a unique type of emergency and/or safety signal. Accordingly, the disclosure of various signal profiles should not be limited to only the signal profiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 shown in FIGS. 34A-D.

FIG. 34D shows a graphical representation 3440 of a detected signal 3444 superimposed with a stored signal profile 3448. The stored signal profile 3448 can be any signal profile associated with a particular emergency and/or safety signal. For the sake of example, the stored signal profile 3448 may be the first signal profile 3420. When a detected signal 3444 is analyzed by the alert module 2312, the alert module 2312 may compare characteristics of the detected signal 3444 to characteristics of the one or more signal profiles. In this example, the alert module 2312 may have determined that the first signal profile 3420 substantially matches the detected signal 3444. For instance, the general shapes of each curve 3444, 3448 are substantially similar, with the exception of offsets 3442, 3446 between peak intensity values (P1S1, P1S2). Additionally or alternatively, the peak intensity value (P1S2) associated with the detected signal 3444 occurs at substantially the same time as the peak intensity value (P1S1) associated with the stored signal profile 3448. Similarly, the alert module 2312 may use this data to exclude the other signal profiles (e.g., second signal profile 3428, third signal profile 3436, etc.) from being identified as matching the detected signal 3444.

In some embodiments, the alert module 2312 may compare the data associated with the detected signal against data stored for one or more of the stored signal profiles. This comparison may include referring to rules stored in memory that define predetermined threshold settings, values, and/or data for matching. For example, the alert module 2312 may identify a detected signal 3444 as matching a specific signal profile when a percentage of data points follow, fall within, and/or are aligned with the data associated with a signal profile. Upon determining that the detected signal 3444 matches a stored signal profile 3448 (e.g., in this example the first signal profile 3420), the alert module 2312 can present information about the detected signal 3444 to a device associated with the vehicle 104. Continuing the example above, the information presented to the device may include identifying the detected signal as being associated with an explosion. Other presentations of the signal are disclosed herein.

An embodiment of a method 3500 for presenting signal information to a device associated with a vehicle 104 is shown in FIG. 35. While a general order for the steps of the method 3500 is shown in FIG. 35, the method 3500 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 35. Generally, the method 3500 starts with a start operation 3504 and ends with an end operation 3528. The method 3500 can be executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 3500 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-34.

The method 3500 begins at step 3504 and proceeds by detecting and/or receiving a signal (step 3508). The signal may be sent as at least one of an acoustic, wireless, visual, and/or combination thereof, form of signal transmission. Typical acoustic and/or auditory signals may include one or more of sirens, horns, alarms, bells, whistles, sounds having a frequency, intensity, and/or duration above or below a predetermined threshold, and the like. In some cases, the acoustic signals may be undetectable by the human ear but can be detected via one or more sensors associated with a vehicle 104 and/or communication device. Wireless signals may refer to signals generated by an emergency source and conveyed by or to at least one receiver via a wireless communications protocol and/or broadcast. Examples of wireless communications can include, but are in no way limited to, IR, RF, Wi-Fi, electric signaling, satellite communications, radio broadcast, line-of-sight communications, AMBER Alerts™, Emergency Alert System (EAS) alerts, National Weather Service (NWS) alerts, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) alerts, etc., and/or any other broadcast alerts or signals. The wireless signals may be configured to include a variety of information. For instance, the wireless signals may include information that identifies a source of the signal, an emergency type, vehicle control instructions, location information, destination information, estimated time of arrival, etc., and/or combinations thereof. Visual signals can include, but are not limited to, lights, strobes, IR, laser, etc., and/or characteristics associated therewith. For example, light characteristics may include information relating to color or wavelength, intensity, frequency, duration, cycling information, etc., and/or combinations thereof.

In any event, the signals may be detected and/or received by one or more sensors and/or modules associated with a vehicle 104. Examples of sensors associated with a vehicle 104 include, but are in no way limited to, at least one of the components of the sensor/sensor subsystems 340, communication subsystems 344, navigation subsystems 336, radar detectors, communications modules (e.g., radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, NFC, wireless Ethernet, point-to-point communications, etc.) transducers (e.g., pressure, light, etc.) microphones 886, cameras 878 (e.g., image sensors, still image capture sensors, video image sensors, etc.), combinations thereof, and the like.

The method 3500 continues by determining the characteristics of the detected signal (step 3512). In some embodiments, the determination of signal characteristics may be performed by the alert module 2312. Signal characteristics may include any data relating to the detected signal. In one embodiment, for example especially with regard to acoustic and/or visual signals, the signal characteristics may include a measured intensity of the detected signal over time. Intensity can refer to loudness, volume, brightness, wavelength, color, and/or other quantifiable data related to the signal. Additionally or alternatively, the characteristics of the signal may include frequency, repetition, curve shape representing data collected from the signal (e.g., generated via mathematical function, best-fit curve information, etc.), combinations thereof, and the like. In any event, this characteristic data may be recorded and stored in memory.

In one embodiment, especially where the signal is a wireless communication signal, the signal itself may contain information relating to the signal and/or signal source. In this example, the information relating to the signal and/or signal source corresponds to signal characteristics. The information may be contained in a packet and include data formatted for transmission to a communications module associated with the vehicle 104. Information associated with the signal can be stored in a header, payload portion, footer, and/or other portion of the packet.

Next, the method 3500 proceeds by determining whether the detected signal is an emergency and/or safety signal (step 3516). In some embodiments, this determination may be made by the alert module 2312. For example, the alert module 2312 may compare the characteristics of the detected signal with one or more stored signal profiles in memory. In the event that the signal cannot be identified, or if the signal is identified as belonging to a non-emergency and/or non-safety signal, the method 3500 may end at step 3528. However, in the event that at least a portion of the characteristics of the detected signal match a stored signal profile, the method 3500 may proceed by determining whether to present the signal, or information about the signal, to a communication device associated with the vehicle 104. As provided above, this matching may be based on predetermined limits, thresholds, and/or other settings stored as matching rules.

The method 3500 continues by determining whether to present the signal, or information about the signal, to a communication device associated with the vehicle 104 (step 3520). In some embodiments, the signal or information about the signal may be prevented from being presented to the communication device and/or user of the vehicle 104 and the method 3500 may end at step 3528. For instance, where a vehicle 104 is pulled over, in an emergency state, and/or otherwise not being operated, the alert module 2312 may determine not to present the signal. As another example, a vehicle 104 may detect and/or receive a signal, but the signal may not apply to the vehicle 104. Continuing this example, the vehicle 104 may have detected an emergency signal from an ambulance on the opposite side of a road that is separated by a physical median. The laws associated with emergency signals in a given area may provide that vehicles are not required to pull over when a physical median separates a roadway. In this example, the signal would not be presented to the communication device of the vehicle on the opposite side of the road. As can be appreciated, the alert module 2312 may refer to one or more rules stored in memory to determine rules, settings, and/or preferences for presenting a signal and/or information about a signal to a communication device of a vehicle 104.

In some embodiments, determining to present the signal, or information about the signal, to a communication device associated with a vehicle 104 may be based on an urgency and/or importance of the signal. For instance, a street sweeper in the far-right lane of a roadway may emit a safety signal. Although this safety signal may be important to vehicles in the far-right lane, the safety signal may not be important to users in the far-left lane of the roadway. Accordingly, the alert module 2312 may determine to present the signal to vehicles in the far-right lane but not to vehicles in the far-left lane.

The method 3500 continues by determining the type of signal presentation, or alert, for the signal and presents the type of signal presentation determined to the communication device associated with the vehicle 104 (step 3524). Signal presentation can include, but is not limited to, repeating the signal, playing the signal over one or more speakers 880 of the vehicle 104, providing a visual alert about the signal to at least one display of the vehicle 104, providing a haptic alert about the signal at a component or system of the vehicle 104, providing an acoustic alert about the signal over the one or more speakers 880 of the vehicle, controlling at least one feature/control of the vehicle 104, etc., and/or combinations thereof. The alert may be configured as a notification having information corresponding to the signal and/or an emergency event or condition associated with the signal. Other embodiments related to presenting signals and/or information associated with the signals to the communication device of the vehicle 104 are disclosed herein. Once the alert is presented, the method 3500 may return to step 3508 or end at step 3528.

An embodiment of a method 3600 for automatically determining a presentation order for signal information alerts is shown in FIG. 36. While a general order for the steps of the method 3600 is shown in FIG. 36, the method 3600 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 36. Generally, the method 3600 starts with a start operation 3604 and ends with an end operation 3636. The method 3600 can be executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 3600 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-35.

Among other things, the method 3600 described herein provides a presentation order for signal alerts/notifications. It is anticipated that certain users of vehicles 104 may react differently to various presentation types. The presentation types may be automatically and/or manually configured, adjusted, and/or updated. For instance, a user receiving an acoustic, or audible, alert may be startled by the noise associated with such an alert. On the other hand, a hearing impaired user may not readily notice acoustic/audible alerts. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the presentation of signal alerts may be configured to provide one or more signal alerts to suit abilities and/or preferences of a user. The presentation order may be based on an urgency associated with the signal, a severity of an emergency that caused the signal to generated, stored preferences, user interaction, and/or the like. Preferences and/or settings may be stored in memory and even associated with a particular user profile 252

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more signal alerts may be presented to at least one device associated with the vehicle to ensure the signal is acknowledged by the user of the vehicle 104. In one embodiment, the signal alert may require acknowledgment by a user of the vehicle 104. Acknowledgment may be made by a user providing an input at the vehicle 104. The input can be one or more of a selection of a user interface element, a vehicle maneuver, a voice input, a reaction of the user (e.g., detected via one or more sensors of the vehicle 104, for example as described in conjunction with FIG. 6B, etc.), and the like.

In the event that a user does not respond to or acknowledge a signal alert requiring acknowledgment, the method 3600 may increase an invasiveness associated with the presented alert. For instance, a visual alert may be discreet to a user while an acoustic alert may be more invasive, or noticeable, and a haptic alert (e.g., vibration, etc.) may be even more invasive, or noticeable, than the acoustic alert. As can be appreciated, the invasiveness of each presentation type may be increased. For example, a visual alert provided as a popup on a display may at least one of increase in size, be accompanied with animation, change color, change brightness, etc. As another example, an acoustic alert emitted as a sound played by a speaker 880 in a vehicle 104 may at least one of increase in volume, change frequency, change amplitude, change waveform, increase intensity, etc. As yet another example, a haptic alert emitted as a vibration or movement of one or more components in a vehicle 104 may at least one of increase in intensity, change frequency, change amplitude, change waveform, increase power, etc. It should be appreciated that alert types may be combined to increase invasiveness. For instance, a visual alert may be accompanied by an acoustic alert, and so on.

In any event, the method 3600 begins at step 3604 and proceeds when a signal alert is presented to a communication device associated with a vehicle 104 (step 3608). In one embodiment, the method 3600 disclosed herein may proceed from step 3524 as described in conjunction with FIG. 35. As provided above, the signal alert may be configured as a visual notification (e.g., presented to a display device 212, 248, 882, associated with the vehicle 104, etc.), acoustic notification (e.g., presented to at least one speaker 880 of the vehicle 104, or at least one speaker of the device 212, 248, 882, associated with the vehicle 104, etc.), haptic notification (e.g., vibrating a seat, steering wheel, gear shift lever and/or stick, etc.), other notifications, and/or combinations thereof. For instance, a visual notification may appear as a popup on a dash display, or console, of a vehicle 104. The visual notification may include information about the signal. In some embodiments, the visual notification may include a user-selectable option. This user-selectable option may be used to dismiss the notification (e.g., removing it from being displayed to the display device, minimizing the notification, etc.), acknowledge the notification, request additional information about the notification, etc., and/or combinations thereof

The method 3600 continues by determining whether the signal alert is accepted and/or acknowledged by a user of the vehicle 104 (step 3612). Acknowledgment may be made by a user affirmatively or passively. Affirmative acknowledgment may include an active response and/or input provided by the user. This type of input may include the user making a vehicle movement or maneuver in temporal proximity to receiving the alert, selecting a user interface element (e.g., presented to the display device of a vehicle 104, etc.), providing a voice command, combinations thereof, and/or the like. Passive acknowledgment may include observations made about a user. For example, a user may be observed, by one or more of the sensors of the vehicle 104, looking at a visual signal alert, making a voice comment about a signal alert, or some other non-affirmative acknowledgment.

In some embodiments, determining whether the signal alert is accepted or acknowledged may include the alert module 2312 determining whether any response or acknowledgment by the user is satisfactory for the type of signal. For example, alerting a user of a safety hazard may not require any action by the user. However, alerting a user of an approaching emergency vehicle may require the user to pull over to the side of a roadway. In one embodiment, a satisfactory response of a user may be stored as rules in memory and associated with a corresponding signal alert. The alert module 2312 may refer to these rules to determine whether the signal is properly accepted. In any event, if the user responds to the signal alert in a satisfactory manner (e.g., providing the response defined by the rules, etc.), the method 3600 ends at step 3636.

In the event that the signal alert is not accepted or acknowledged as provided in step 3612, the method 3600 proceeds by determining whether a subsequent signal alert type is available (step 3616). The subsequent signal alert type may include, but is not limited to, an additional alert type (e.g., visual, acoustic, haptic, etc.), a change to an alert type (e.g., change in intensity, presentation, etc.), and/or the like. In some embodiments, a signal alert may have been presented to a user via two or more of the alert types and an acceptable acknowledgment of the signal alert not determined by the alert module 2312. In this case, the alert module 2312 may determine that no subsequent signal alert type is available. In one embodiment, the signal alert may require immediate acknowledgment by the user and when no such acknowledgment is determined then no subsequent signal alert type is available.

In any event, when it is determined that no subsequent signal alert type is available, the method 3600 proceeds by determining to control the vehicle 104 (step 3628). Determining whether a vehicle should be controlled may be based at least partially on the rules associated with the signal alert. For instance, some emergency signals (e.g., police signals, fire department signals, ambulance signals, etc.) may require control of a vehicle while other emergency and/or safety signals (e.g., tornado warnings, AMBER Alerts™, some road hazards, etc.) may not require control. The settings and/or rules defining particular vehicle controls, especially control of vehicular navigation functions, may be restricted to authorized entities (e.g., police, government agency, manufacturer, etc.). In the event that it is determined not to control the vehicle 104, the method 3600 ends at step 3636.

In some cases, the method 3600 continues when it is determined that control of the vehicle features is required to control the vehicle features (step 3632). Control of the vehicle 104 may include manipulating one or more vehicle controls. For example, the alert module 2312 may communicate with the vehicle control system 204 and force the vehicle 104 to pull over, slow down, stop, make a turn, follow navigation directions, and/or perform any other driving maneuver or series of maneuvers. Additionally or alternatively, control of vehicle features may include adjusting one or more components and/or subsystems of the vehicle 104. For instance, the alert module 2312 may communicate with one or more components of the media subsystems 348 to adjust a media playing. Adjustment may include pausing a media stream, lowering the volume associated with a media playing, and/or otherwise interrupting a media playback. This control may allow a signal alert to be better noticed by a user (e.g., by reducing sensory distractions, etc.). After the at least one feature of the vehicle 104 is controlled, the method 3600 may end.

In some embodiments, the method 3600 may determine at step 3616 that a subsequent signal alert type is available. In this case, the method 3600 proceeds by determining whether to present the subsequent signal alert (step 3620). As provided above, the subsequent signal alert type may include, but is not limited to, a replacement alert (e.g., of a different alert type than presented in step 3608), an additional alert type (e.g., visual, acoustic, haptic, etc.), a change to an alert type (e.g., change in intensity, presentation, etc.), and/or the like. In one embodiment, the subsequent signal alert type may be configured to be more invasive than a previously presented signal alert type. For instance, a user in a vehicle 104 may be more apt to ignore, or not respond to, a visual alert presented to a display device than an acoustic alert playing a sound via one or more speakers 880 associated with the vehicle 104. As can be appreciated, the user who may be able to ignore, or not respond to, an acoustic signal alert type (e.g., especially if the user is hearing impaired, or if the acoustic signal is outside of a frequency range detectable by the user, etc.), may respond when presented with a haptic alert type. Determining whether to present the subsequent signal alert may be based at least partially on rules associated with the signal, user preferences, settings, vehicle state, etc. The method 3600 may continue by presenting the subsequent signal alert to at least one device associated with the vehicle 104 in step 3624.

Referring now to FIG. 37, an embodiment of a data structure 3700 for storing signal information, which may be part of an emergency and/or safety signal, is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the data structure 3700 may be associated with a wireless communication signal received by a vehicle 104. The data structure 3700 may include one or more of data files or data objects 3704, 3708, 3712, 3716, 3720, 3724, 3728. Thus, the data structure 3700 may represent different types of databases or data storage, for example, object-oriented data bases, flat file data structures, relational database, or other types of data storage arrangements. Embodiments of the data structure 3700 disclosed herein may be separate, combined, and/or distributed. As indicated in FIG. 37, there may be more or fewer portions in the data structure 3700, as represented by ellipses 3732. Any of the information in the data structure may be used by the alert module 2312 in determining whether a particular response or acknowledgment is required from the user of a vehicle 104.

The signal information data structure 3700 may include an emergency source field 3704. In some embodiments, the emergency source field 3704 can identify a source and/or signaling entity of the emergency signal. This source identification can include information related to whether the signal originated from a particular entity, has been relayed by an intermediate entity, and/or if the signal is unique to a particular entity. Additionally or alternatively, the emergency source field 3704 may include a name of an organization, agency, individual, or other group from which the source originated. For instance, an emergency signal generated by a police car traveling to the scene of an accident may include an identification of the police car in the emergency source field 3704. This identification may include names or badge numbers of police officers in the police car. In some embodiments, this information may be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to inform a user of the emergency source. Among other things, this information may be used by the alert module 2312 in determining whether the signal originated from an authorized source. Typical sources can include one or more vehicles, alert systems, radio towers, wireless communication modules, emergency dispatch systems, traffic control systems, servers, and/or any other module configured to generate or relay at least one of the signals.

The emergency type field 3708 may include information corresponding to the emergency type associated with the signal. Emergency types can include general or specific information corresponding to the emergency for which the signal is generated. For example, a fire truck may be traveling to a fire may provide a signal having “Three-Alarm Fire” or “Fire Response Call” in the emergency type. As another example, the fire truck traveling to the fire may provide specific information, such as “Fire at the Intersection of Colfax Ave. and Broadway St.” in the emergency type field 3708. In some embodiments, this information may be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to alert a user of detailed emergency type information. Additionally or alternatively, the information in the emergency type field 3708 may be used by the alert module 2312 in determining whether a particular response or acknowledgment is required from the user of a vehicle 104.

The urgency level field 3712 may include information corresponding to an urgency of the emergency associated with the signal. The urgency may include a rating, range, or other identification of the urgency associated with an emergency. For example, a rating may be based on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 indicates a low urgency and 10 indicates a high urgency. As can be appreciated, various values in the scale can indicate the level of emergency relative to a low and/or high urgency. In some cases, the urgency level may be configured to change depending on one or more factors. For instance, as an emergency escalates in importance, the urgency level may increase one or more levels. As another example, the urgency level may increase as a vehicle 104 and an emergency signaling entity get closer in proximity to one another. Similar to the emergency type field 3708, the information in the urgency level field 3712 may be used by the alert module 2312 in determining whether a particular response or acknowledgment is required from the user of a vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the information in this field 3712 may be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to alert a user of the urgency level of the emergency.

The vehicle control instructions field 3716 may include information for controlling one or more features of a vehicle 104. In some embodiments, this information may be used by the alert module 2312 in determining a control of the vehicle features as described in conjunction with steps 3628 and 3632 of FIG. 36. The vehicle control instructions may include instructions configured to automatically control a vehicle operation and/or navigation (e.g., pulling the vehicle over, slowing the vehicle, etc.) In one embodiment, the vehicle control instructions field 3716 may include information provided by a signaling entity for the user of a vehicle to follow. These instructions may include navigational information, driving instructions, and/or other vehicle control instructions. By way of example, a police car may be traveling along a road toward a vehicle 104. In this example, the vehicle 104 may be in a lane that the police car wishes to use. In accordance with embodiments of this disclosure, the police car may provide vehicle control instructions to the vehicle in the field 3716 to instruct the vehicle to move out of the lane. In some embodiments, the information in this field 3712 may be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to present instructions to a user of the vehicle 104. The instructions may be presented in at least one of visual (e.g., displayed to a display device, etc.), acoustic (e.g., played over a speaker, etc.), and/or haptic (e.g., vibrating on a specific side of the user's seat to indicate a direction to avoid, etc.) form.

The location information field 3720 may include information corresponding to a location of the emergency, emergency vehicle, or other signaling entity providing the signal. In some embodiments, the location information may be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to inform the user of a vehicle 104 of a location of the signaling entity. For example, the location information may be presented as an icon, or other graphical representation, of an emergency vehicle on a map displayed to a display device of the vehicle 104. This location information may include lane information, speed, acceleration, and/or other temporal and/or geographical information associated with the signaling entity.

The destination information field 3724 may include information corresponding to a destination of the emergency vehicle providing the emergency signal. This destination information may be used by the alert module 2312 of a vehicle 104 in determining whether to alert a user of the vehicle 104. For instance, a vehicle 104 that is in close proximity to an emergency vehicle providing the emergency signal, but is heading in a different destination, or direction, than the destination contained in the field 3724 may not be alerted. In contrast, a vehicle 104 that is in close proximity to an emergency vehicle providing the emergency signal, and is heading toward the same destination, or direction, as the destination contained in the field 3724 may be alerted. In some embodiments, the destination information may be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to inform the user of a vehicle 104 of a destination of the signaling entity. For example, the destination information may be presented as an icon, or other graphical representation, of an emergency vehicle on a map displayed to a display device of the vehicle 104.

The ETA field 3728 may include information used by the alert module 2312 in determining an estimated time of arrival of the signaling entity or emergency vehicle. The estimated time of arrival can correspond to one or more of an estimated time of arrival at the destination provided in the destination information field 3724, a location associated with the vehicle 104, and a position in proximity to the vehicle 104 and destination. In some embodiments, the estimated time of arrival may be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to inform the user of a vehicle 104 of the estimated time of arrival of the signaling entity. For example, the estimated time of arrival may be presented as a countdown or count-up timer, a time-based graphical representation, progress bar, and/or other representation to indicate an amount of time before the emergency vehicle arrives at a position.

FIG. 38 is a block diagram of signal communications system 3800 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the signal communications system 3800 is configured to provide signal communications to one or more vehicles 3804A-F traveling along a series of paths. In one embodiment, the paths may include one or more roads arranged about an intersection 3820. A first roadway is shown with vehicles 3804A-C and emergency vehicle 3808A traveling along first direction 3812. A second roadway is shown with vehicles 3804D,E and emergency vehicle 3808B traveling along second direction 3814. Vehicle 3804F is shown traveling along third direction 3816 on a third roadway. The section of roadways shown includes an intersection 3820 having a traffic control system 3828 (e.g., traffic lights, etc.). Other features of the section of roadways shown include a physical median 3832 (separating a portion of the first roadway from a portion of the second roadway), a road division marking 3836A (marking a separation of a portion of the first roadway from a portion of the second roadway), and a lane marking 3836B.

The signal communications system 3800 may include one or more signaling entities 228, 3804C,D, 3808A,B, 3838, 3840-C. These signaling entities can be configured as at least one of relaying signaling entity, initiating signaling entity, and emergency signal source. In some embodiments, a server 228 can communicate across a communications network 224 to provide a signal for broadcast via one or more wireless communication modules 3838. Examples of wireless communication module 3838 may include, but are in no way limited to, a cell tower, radio tower, Wi-Fi hot spot, network access point, or other wireless communications system. Signaling entities may be associated with one or more path features.

For example, crossing signaling entity 3840 may be associated with a crossing 3844, school zone, crosswalk, or other physical location/region adjacent to a road. In some cases, a relaying signaling entity 3840B may be dispersed about a signal communications system 3800 to relay signals generated by another signaling entity. As an example, relaying signaling entity 3840B may receive a signal from the server 228, via the wireless communication module 3838, regarding an emergency. This emergency signal may be communicated, via the relaying signaling entity 3840B, to one or more vehicles 3804E,F that are in proximity to the relaying signaling entity 3840B. In some embodiments, a signal may be sent from one relaying signaling entity 3840B to another signaling entity 3808C forming a daisy-chain communication network of roadside devices. In some embodiments, a signal may be sent from one vehicle 3804D to another vehicle 3804C forming a daisy-chain communication network of vehicles. As another example, the relaying signaling entity 3840B may receive a signal from another signaling entity 3804F, 3808A,B, relating to an emergency. Similar to above, this emergency signal may be communicated, via the relaying signaling entity 3840B, to one or more vehicles 3804E,F and/or other relaying signaling entity 3840C that is in proximity to the relaying signaling entity 3840B.

In some embodiments, and as provided herein, one or more emergency vehicles 3808A,B may be traveling to an emergency destination 3824. As a first emergency vehicle 3808A is traveling along a road, the vehicle 3808A may provide an emergency signal to at least alert those in proximity of the emergency vehicle 3808A of the presence of the emergency vehicle 3808A. The signal may be a siren, flashing lights, and/or a wireless communication signal emitted by the first emergency vehicle 3808A. In the case of a siren, nearby vehicles 3804A,B may detect the sound of the emergency vehicle 3808A using one or more external sensors, such as the environmental sensors 708E (e.g., audio sensors 764, etc.) as described in conjunction with FIG. 7B. In the case of flashing lights, nearby vehicles 3804A,B may detect the light emitted from the emergency vehicle 3808A using one or more external sensors, such as the environmental sensors 708E (e.g., camera sensors 760, infrared sensors 740, motion sensors 744, backup cameras, etc.) and/or other sensors as described herein. Where the signal is sent as a wireless communication signal emitted by the first emergency vehicle 3808A, the wireless signal sensors 758 and/or other communications modules associated with the vehicle 104 may detect and/or receive the signal.

In response to detecting and/or receiving the signal, the vehicle 104 may perform the methods 3500, 3600 described in conjunction with FIGS. 35 and 36 to determine signal characteristics and a presentation for a device associated with the vehicle 104. This determination may include identifying the detected signal by comparing or matching characteristics of the detected signal with one or more signal profiles stored in memory as described in conjunction with FIGS. 34 and 35.

In some embodiments, the emergency vehicle 3808A may emit a signal having emergency information that can be used by the vehicle 104 in determining an appropriate response to the signal. This signal may include the information of the data structure 3700 described in conjunction with FIG. 37. For example, as first emergency vehicle 3808A is traveling to emergency destination 3824, the emergency vehicle 3808A may provide destination information in a destination information field 3724. The destination information may include an expected path of navigation. Continuing the example above, the first emergency vehicle 3808A may have an expected path of navigation 3810A defining at least one of turn-by-turn directions, lane selection, required directional changes, and more. Second emergency vehicle 3808B may be traveling to the same emergency destination 3824 via a different expected path of navigation 3810B. As shown in FIG. 38, the position of second vehicle 3804B is in the expected path of navigation 3810A of the first emergency vehicle 3808A. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the alert module 2312, upon reviewing this destination information, may alert the user to change lanes. In some embodiments, the information provided may alter a travel direction or navigational information associated with a vehicle 104. It is anticipated that the expected path of navigation 3810A may be communicated to any of the vehicles 3804A-F within a communication range of at least one signaling entity. For example, information describing that first emergency vehicle 3808A may turn left through the intersection 3820 can be communicated to one or more of approaching vehicles 3804D and 3804F.

As can be appreciated, some vehicles may not be equipped with one or more wireless communication modules configured to receive a wireless communication signal emitted by a signaling entity or an emergency vehicle 3808A,B may not be emitting a wireless communication signal. In any event, location information and/or expected path of navigation may be determined by a vehicle based at least partially on characteristics associated with an emitted visual and/or acoustic signal. For example, the determination of location information may be made based on differences in the characteristics of sounds emitted by an emergency vehicle at a first position and time 3808A′ and by the emergency vehicle 3808A at a second time and position. These characteristics may include sound quality characteristics, such as, volume, intensity, frequency, and/or detected signal interruption. Additionally or alternatively, the Doppler shift, or effect, characteristics associated with the sounds emitted by an emergency vehicle 3808A over time can provide directional and/or location information of the emergency vehicle 3808A (e.g., using a Doppler effect algorithm based on an analysis of the sounds detected, etc.). Using this characteristic information, the position, direction, and/or speed of an emergency vehicle 3808A,B may be determined and even provided to a user of a vehicle 104 in the form of an alert or other notification presented to a device of the vehicle 104. For example, an alert may be visually displayed to a display device of a vehicle 104 showing and/or stating that the emergency vehicle is approaching from a particular side of the vehicle, or direction.

In some cases, the vehicles 3804A-F may utilize one or more radar sensors configured to detect a specific radar signature associated with emergency vehicles 3808A,B. The specific radar signature can be achieved by utilizing special surfaces, reflectors, or characteristics of a vehicle (e.g., grating, mass definition, unique vehicle signature, etc.). In one embodiment, special surfaces and/or reflectors may be disposed on the outside of an emergency vehicle 3808A,B. Additionally or alternatively, a wireless signal may be emitted by a signaling entity instructing a vehicle to activate at least one radar sensor for detecting one or more emergency vehicles.

The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure have been described in relation to configurable vehicle consoles and associated devices. However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, the preceding description omits a number of known structures and devices. This omission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scopes of the claims. Specific details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. It should however be appreciated that the present disclosure may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific detail set forth herein.

Furthermore, while the exemplary aspects, embodiments, options, and/or configurations illustrated herein show the various components of the system collocated, certain components of the system can be located remotely, at distant portions of a distributed network, such as a LAN and/or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should be appreciated, that the components of the system can be combined in to one or more devices, such as a Personal Computer (PC), laptop, netbook, smart phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), tablet, etc., or collocated on a particular node of a distributed network, such as an analog and/or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switch network, or a circuit-switched network. It will be appreciated from the preceding description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, that the components of the system can be arranged at any location within a distributed network of components without affecting the operation of the system. For example, the various components can be located in a switch such as a PBX and media server, gateway, in one or more communications devices, at one or more users' premises, or some combination thereof. Similarly, one or more functional portions of the system could be distributed between a telecommunications device(s) and an associated computing device.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links connecting the elements can be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof, or any other known or later developed element(s) that is capable of supplying and/or communicating data to and from the connected elements. These wired or wireless links can also be secure links and may be capable of communicating encrypted information. Transmission media used as links, for example, can be any suitable carrier for electrical signals, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.

Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and illustrated in relation to a particular sequence of events, it should be appreciated that changes, additions, and omissions to this sequence can occur without materially affecting the operation of the disclosed embodiments, configuration, and aspects.

A number of variations and modifications of the disclosure can be used. It would be possible to provide for some features of the disclosure without providing others.

It should be appreciated that the various processing modules (e.g., processors, vehicle systems, vehicle subsystems, modules, etc.), for example, can perform, monitor, and/or control critical and non-critical tasks, functions, and operations, such as interaction with and/or monitoring and/or control of critical and non-critical on board sensors and vehicle operations (e.g., engine, transmission, throttle, brake power assist/brake lock-up, electronic suspension, traction and stability control, parallel parking assistance, occupant protection systems, power steering assistance, self-diagnostics, event data recorders, steer-by-wire and/or brake-by-wire operations, vehicle-to-vehicle interactions, vehicle-to-infrastructure interactions, partial and/or full automation, telematics, navigation/SPS, multimedia systems, audio systems, rear seat entertainment systems, game consoles, tuners (SDR), heads-up display, night vision, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, adaptive headlights, collision warning, blind spot sensors, park/reverse assistance, tire pressure monitoring, traffic signal recognition, vehicle tracking (e.g., LoJack™), dashboard/instrument cluster, lights, seats, climate control, voice recognition, remote keyless entry, security alarm systems, and wiper/window control). Processing modules can be enclosed in an advanced EMI-shielded enclosure containing multiple expansion modules. Processing modules can have a “black box” or flight data recorder technology, containing an event (or driving history) recorder (containing operational information collected from vehicle on board sensors and provided by nearby or roadside signal transmitters), a crash survivable memory unit, an integrated controller and circuitry board, and network interfaces.

Critical system controller(s) can control, monitor, and/or operate critical systems. Critical systems may include one or more of (depending on the particular vehicle) monitoring, controlling, operating the ECU, TCU, door settings, window settings, blind spot monitor, monitoring, controlling, operating the safety equipment (e.g., airbag deployment control unit, collision sensor, nearby object sensing system, seat belt control unit, sensors for setting the seat belt, etc.), monitoring and/or controlling certain critical sensors such as the power source controller and energy output sensor, engine temperature, oil pressure sensing, hydraulic pressure sensors, sensors for headlight and other lights (e.g., emergency light, brake light, parking light, fog light, interior or passenger compartment light, and/or tail light state (on or off)), vehicle control system sensors, wireless network sensor (e.g., Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth sensors, etc.), cellular data sensor, and/or steering/torque sensor, controlling the operation of the engine (e.g., ignition, etc.), head light control unit, power steering, display panel, switch state control unit, power control unit, and/or brake control unit, and/or issuing alerts to a user and/or remote monitoring entity of potential problems with a vehicle operation.

Non-critical system controller(s) can control, monitor, and/or operate non-critical systems. Non-critical systems may include one or more of (depending on the particular vehicle) monitoring, controlling, operating a non-critical system, emissions control, seating system controller and sensor, infotainment/entertainment system, monitoring certain non-critical sensors such as ambient (outdoor) weather readings (e.g., temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and the like), odometer reading sensor, trip mileage reading sensor, road condition sensors (e.g., wet, icy, etc.), radar transmitter/receiver output, brake wear sensor, oxygen sensor, ambient lighting sensor, vision system sensor, ranging sensor, parking sensor, heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and sensor, water sensor, air-fuel ratio meter, hall effect sensor, microphone, radio frequency (RF) sensor, and/or infrared (IR) sensor.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that one or more of the non-critical components and/or systems provided herein may become critical components and/or systems, and/or vice versa, depending on a context associated with the vehicle.

Optionally, the systems and methods of this disclosure can be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit element(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such as discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or the like. In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementing the methodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the various aspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used for the disclosed embodiments, configurations and aspects includes computers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet enabled, digital, analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware known in the art. Some of these devices include processors (e.g., a single or multiple microprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage, input devices, and output devices. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the methods described herein.

Examples of the processors as described herein may include, but are not limited to, at least one of Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 610 and 615 with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing, Apple® A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motion coprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® series, the Intel® Core™ family of processors, the Intel® Xeon® family of processors, the Intel® Atom™ family of processors, the Intel Itanium® family of processors, Intel® Core® i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22 nm Haswell, Intel® Core® i5-3570K 22 nm Ivy Bridge, the AMD® FX™ family of processors, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300, and FX-8350 32 nm Vishera, AMD® Kaveri processors, Texas Instruments® Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment processors, Texas Instruments® OMAP™ automotive-grade mobile processors, ARM® Cortex™-M processors, ARM® Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S™ processors, other industry-equivalent processors, and may perform computational functions using any known or future-developed standard, instruction set, libraries, and/or architecture.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readily implemented in conjunction with software using object or object-oriented software development environments that provide portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially or fully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design. Whether software or hardware is used to implement the systems in accordance with this disclosure is dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the system, the particular function, and the particular software or hardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems being utilized.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partially implemented in software that can be stored on a storage medium, executed on programmed general-purpose computer with the cooperation of a controller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, or the like. In these instances, the systems and methods of this disclosure can be implemented as program embedded on personal computer such as an applet, JAVA® or CGI script, as a resource residing on a server or computer workstation, as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurement system, system component, or the like. The system can also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into a software and/or hardware system.

Although the present disclosure describes components and functions implemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations with reference to particular standards and protocols, the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are in existence and are considered to be included in the present disclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein and other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are periodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents having essentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocols having the same functions are considered equivalents included in the present disclosure.

The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments, subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of implementation.

The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the disclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than those discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the disclosure.

Moreover, though the description has included description of one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain variations and modifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications are within the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An emergency vehicle alert system, comprising: an alert module of a vehicle configured to detect a signal emitted by at least one emergency signaling entity, wherein the alert module is configured to analyze the detected signal for signal information and identify the detected signal as an emergency signal when the signal information of the detected signal includes information corresponding to at least one emergency; and a communication device associated with the vehicle and configured to present an alert to notify a user of the vehicle of the at least one emergency; and wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information further comprises: determining characteristics of the detected signal over time, and comparing the determined characteristics of the detected signal to one or more signal profiles stored in memory, wherein each signal profile of the one or more signal profiles is associated with at least one of a signal source and emergency event type.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert includes at least one alert type comprising one or more of a visual, acoustic, and haptic notification.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergency signaling entity is a return signal in response to a radar signal sent by the vehicle.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein presenting the alert to the communication device associated with the vehicle is based at least partially on user preferences stored in memory and associated with the user.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergency signaling entity is a wireless communication signal, and wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information further comprises: analyzing the wireless communication signal for signal information included in a payload of a packet associated with the wireless communication signal.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless communication signal includes at least one of vehicle control instructions, location information of the emergency vehicle relative to the vehicle, destination information of the emergency vehicle, and an estimated time of arrival of the emergency vehicle.
 7. The system of claim 2, further comprising: determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device, wherein determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device further comprises: detecting an input provided by the user in response to the alert being presented; determining whether the input provided by the user corresponds to a required acknowledgment of the alert as defined by rules stored in memory; providing an affirmative output that the user has acknowledged the alert when the input provided by the user corresponds to the required acknowledgment of the alert; and providing a negative output that the user has failed to acknowledge the alert when the input provided by the user fails to correspond to the required acknowledgment of the alert; presenting, when it is determined that the user of the vehicle has failed to acknowledge the alert presented to the communication device, a subsequent alert to the communication device associated with the vehicle, wherein the subsequent alert includes a modification to at least one of the alert type, an intensity associated with the alert type, and a number of the alert types presented to the communication device.
 8. The system of claim 7, further comprising: a controller configured to control a feature of the vehicle, wherein the feature of the vehicle includes at least one of a navigation feature, a media subsystem, an engine control, a steering control, and a gear transmission control.
 9. An emergency vehicle alert method comprising: detecting, by an alert module of a vehicle, an acoustic signal generated by an emergency signaling entity; analyzing characteristics of the acoustic signal, wherein the characteristics include signal information associated with the acoustic signal over a period of time; comparing the characteristics of the acoustic signal with characteristics of one or more stored signal profiles, wherein each of the one or more stored signal profiles is associated with a specific emergency definition; determining whether a match exists between the characteristics of the acoustic signal and the characteristics of one or more stored signal profiles; presenting, when the match exists, an alert to a communication device of the vehicle to notify a user of the vehicle about the acoustic signal, wherein the presentation of the alert includes at least one of playing a sound corresponding to the acoustic signal detected, providing information about the acoustic signal detected, and providing the specific emergency definition associated with the matching signal profile determining whether the user of the vehicle acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device, wherein the determining step comprises: (i) detecting an input provided by the user in response to the alert being presented; (ii) providing an affirmative output that the user acknowledged the alert when the input provided by the user corresponds to a required acknowledgment of the alert; and (iii) providing a negative output that the user failed to acknowledge the alert when the input provided by the user fails to correspond to the required acknowledgment of the alert and presenting a subsequent alert to the communication device.
 10. An emergency vehicle alert method, comprising: detecting, by an alert module of a vehicle, a signal emitted by at least one emergency signaling entity; analyzing the detected signal for signal information; identifying the detected signal as an emergency signal when the signal information of the detected signal includes information corresponding to at least one emergency; and presenting an alert to a communication device associated with the vehicle, wherein the alert is configured to notify a user of the vehicle about the at least one emergency; and wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information further comprises: determining characteristics of the detected signal over time, and comparing the determined characteristics of the detected signal to one or more signal profiles stored in memory wherein each signal profile of the one or more signal profiles is associated with at least one of a signal source and emergency event type.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the alert includes at least one alert type comprising one or more of a visual, acoustic, and haptic notification.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergency signaling entity is a return signal in response to a radar signal sent by the vehicle.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein presenting the alert to the communication device associated with the vehicle is based at least partially on user preferences stored in memory and associated with the user.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergency signaling entity is a wireless communication signal, and wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information further comprises: analyzing the wireless communication signal for signal information included in a payload of a packet associated with the wireless communication signal.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless communication signal includes at least one of vehicle control instructions, location information of the emergency vehicle relative to the vehicle, destination information of the emergency vehicle, and an estimated time of arrival of the emergency vehicle.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device; and presenting, when it is determined that the user of the vehicle has failed to acknowledge the alert presented to the communication device, a subsequent alert to the communication device associated with the vehicle, wherein the subsequent alert includes a modification to at least one of the alert type, an intensity associated with the alert type, and a number of the alert types presented to the communication device.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device further comprises: detecting an input provided by the user in response to the alert being presented; determining whether the input provided by the user corresponds to a required acknowledgment of the alert as defined by rules stored in memory; providing an affirmative output that the user has acknowledged the alert when the input provided by the user corresponds to the required acknowledgment of the alert; and providing a negative output that the user has failed to acknowledge the alert when the input provided by the user fails to correspond to the required acknowledgment of the alert.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the input provided by the user fails to correspond to the required acknowledgment of the alert, the method further comprising: controlling a feature of the vehicle, wherein the feature of the vehicle includes at least one of a navigation feature, a media subsystem, an engine control, a steering control, and a gear transmission control. 